Black Mage
by xCanaan
Summary: Reverse Summon! Louise gets pulled into a unknown world filled with conflict and strife. When she finally returns home, she is no longer the little girl she once was. Tempered by monster-slaying, and rescuing cats off roofs. Louise contends with political strife and war looming over Halkeginia. While the mysterious Black Spirit watches with amusement.
1. Ch 1: Sunder

_**Black Mage**_

 _ **Chapter 01: Sunder**_

* * *

"Talking normally," said Louise.

 _'Thinking to myself_ ,' thought Louise

" _ **Check out my teeth**_!" exclaimed the Black Spirit.

* * *

The spring-time familiar summoning ritual was one looked upon by many mages as the time where young, prospective nobles would be formally inducted into the world of magic, for after all, what is a mage without his or her loyal familiar? However, for one pink-haired mage, she viewed this as her final chance to prove herself capable of magic, to prove herself more than the failure her classmates dismissed her as. Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Vallière—a mouthful she admitted—was a young woman of the ripe age of sixteen. However, the petite girl was more commonly known to her peers as Louise the Zero due to her failure to produce any result other than thunderous explosions, no matter what spell she attempted to cast. The first-time the young girl ever casted a spell, her wand had exploded in the most spectacular manner and led to some singed eyebrows and destroyed furnishings. Attempts that followed were met with similar results, much to the despair of the pink-haired girl.

Hoping to avoid the spiraling descent of depressive thoughts, Louise shook her head to clear her mind, and focus on the upcoming ritual. It wouldn't do to psyche herself out when she was just about to cast the most important spell of her life, the one spell that would decide her whole future. She had studied the summoning ritual in extreme detail, foregoing meals and sleep to understand even the most minute details, driven by a single-minded determination to prove herself a capable mage, and not a failure to the de Vallière name. And while her success rate when it came to casting was of zero, when it came to pure academia she was quite certainly the most advanced student in the whole school, something enabled by her determination and by the fact that Colbert, one of the teachers, regularly lent her literature far more advanced than what was available to her peers.

Louise looked around at her fellow classmates and the creatures they had summoned, ranging from the mundane, like cats or dogs, to the most fantastical of beasts. A blue haired-girl, known as Tabitha, had even summoned a Rhyme dragon! Not that Louise was jealous. No, that would be unbecoming of a noble, and she had no doubt that her own familiar would be far superior, by far, to the creatures summoned by her detractors. Although she did have doubts, glancing as she was, to the salamander obediently sat next a young woman with tanned skin and an impressive figure. Kirche Von Zerbst may have been her rival of sorts, she had to admit the creature perfectly suited her passionate nature. Okay, she felt a bit depressed now. How could she ever summon something that stood up to the likes of these creatures? Not much could stand up to a dragon except for griffons or Manticores. Her own mother had a Manticore as a familiar, and with her efforts, she became one of the most feared mage in Halkeginia. The title of Karin of the Heavy Wind was one not bestowed lightly, and denoted her status as the most powerful Wind mage in all of Tristania.

The expectations place on Louise were heavy indeed.

"Wonderful familiars you all have summoned! Now that we are finished, I have no doubt you all want to..." started a male voice, making her turn to watch the speaker. Professor Colbert was rather unassuming, as far as appearances went, with simple robes, a crooked staff held in his hand, and a bald head.

"Actually Professor," interrupted Kirche, the tanned-beauty quietly snickering to herself, "Louise has yet to go and I'm all sure we're all dying to see what she summons."

Of course, it would be her who would call out Louise. The past few months had been quite horrible on the pink-haired girl, her peers sneering behind her back at her inability to cast magic aside, the buxom beauty had taken great delight in shoving Louise's face in her substantial bosom (almost suffocating her in the process) while mocking her lacking magic and body. It led to many restless nights from to crying herself to sleep, and Louise could hardly take any more bullying. They were supposed to be nobles! Examples for the commoners, who would look upon them and know that there was a reason they were nobles, not rumor-mongering, spiteful children who mocked those they saw as their lesser!

Well, she would prove them all wrong! She didn't spend many a fortnight studying the ritual in detail for naught, and she had even made some personal modifications that would guarantee a beautiful and majestic familiar worthy of the Founder Brimir himself!

"Ah, yes..." said Colbert with a pause, as he pushed his glasses up with his left hand. "Please, proceed with the ritual Miss Vallière."

Louise looked around towards her peers and found several of them scrambling for whatever cover they could find. Tabitha and Kirche, meanwhile, stood off to the side near the tower's walls, with the aqua-haired girl looking rather disinterested as she read the book in her hand, and Kirche looked amused, probably thinking this was another golden opportunity to tease her.

The murmurs coming from her peers began to chip away her confidence, so Louise recalled the most important lesson her mother taught her.

'Rule of Steel.' Her mother's voice echoed in her mind as the young girl took a deep breath and steeled herself for the ritual, ignoring the jeers and begging of the students to stop her. Trying to appear unfazed as possible, Louise walked up to the summoning area, took out her wand and pointed it upwards as she began the incantation. The voice resounding in the air, and she poured more of her willpower into the spell that would forever change her life.

"I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière," she started. Her voice grew stronger as she continued, pouring her willpower into the ritual circle, "In the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers!"

By that point, the air had grown heavy with power, and reality itself seemed to be stilling, the air almost coming alive.

"Following my fate…"

 _ **"jd tjkl nwl mwbya?"**_ A shrill voice echoed through the air and caught the attention of everyone present.

'Is little Louise actually doing it?' blinked Kirche with disbelief. She could not deny that she was feeling chills running down her spine, and she wasn't easily flustered, so that was proof that something was going on!

"From the denial of nothing, to the acceptance of null!"

A green portal flickered into life in the middle of the summoning circle, and appeared as though it would fall apart at any moment, writhing as if the smallest thing would close it shut. Arcs of black lightning shot across the grass, barely missing the caster as though it were trying to test her resolve. Several students screamed as several stray bolts nearly struck them, charred grass all that remained where they landed.

Upon hearing the screams, Tabitha slammed her book shut and brought her staff forward, the action not missed by her buxom friend.

"Taby?" nervously chuckled Kirche as she glanced at her companion. Her flame salamander had run off alongside the other familiars to the far end of the courtyard, letting out snarls and whimpers of fear along the way. Even Tabitha's familiar appeared meek, as the dragon tried to make herself look as little as possible, while still staying by her master's side.

"Something wrong," the reserved mage spoke succinctly, eyes narrowed.

Looking unfazed by the destruction around her, Louise forged onward, her brow stubbornly set, and her small body pushing against the maelstrom of power.

"Offer thou power to be my sword upon my enemies would rend, and the shield that harbors my loved ones! From somewhere in the vast universe! My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant! Heed my call for which I wish from the very bottom of my heart! Appear before me!"

The last part of the incantation was almost shouted, as Louise set her face in the stony mask her mother was known for, and that she had had plenty of time perfecting. It wouldn't do for her to show anything other than satisfaction as she proved herself, that would be unbecoming of a Noble.

Yet as seconds ticked by, nothing happened, the portal flickering continuously, ready to close at any moment and to deny the girl her familiar. Even minutes later, no great beast had exited the portal, and some of the more courageous students had begun moving out of their hiding spots.

"It looks like your familiar got lost on the way! Haha!" Mocked one of the male students.

"As expected of Louise the Zero, her familiar can't even get here!" Another student added, insulting her further.

Louise could feel her eyes moistening, and her façade beginning to crumble. Of course, this would happen. What was she expecting? That some amazing familiar would appear to be her loyal companion, one that would never make fun of her, disparage her, or betray her. Perhaps this was her fate, to be found without a hint of magical talent. Reserved to be married off to some family like a bargaining chip for some noble house looking for a business tie to the Vallière family. Her lips began to tremble at the thought of it, and a lone tear ran down her face as she fell to her knees.

Kirche looked at the grief-stricken girl in front of her with pity. While she may have teased the Vallière girl quite a bit it was always for just laughs, and Louise didn't seem to take it too badly, even getting swept along in their back and forth banter. But seeing just how much the disparaging remarks of her peers were affecting Louise made her feel horrible. Kirche actually liked Louise quite a bit (though she could loosen up a bit and her remarks were always so adorable in the way she got riled up), she never truly wished something like this on her classmate. Being a Noble without magic, especially for someone who came from a such a prestigious house like Vallière, was a fate she wouldn't wish on anyone. The Germanian took a step forward towards Louise, but felt something pulled her back. Looking to her side, she found Tabitha had grabbed her arm and shook her head not to approach.

"Not safe," muttered the blue-haired mage. Not safe? There was nothing going on. Just about as Kirche was about to protest, a noise came from Louise's direction, making the tanned girl turned her gaze towards her diminutive classmate.

Louise stood once more. If her familiar couldn't bring itself over, then she would just have to drag it here! Her familiar better be damn grateful for the effort she was putting into this! She took several steps towards the flickering portal, but before she could reach it, a strange voice called out to her.

 _ **"jd ttedn qj ghv Pdcxs dn Mwbe,"**_ a childish, bordering on demonic, voice called out from the portal and Louise froze in fear only a few feet away. The green portal ignited in a bright light that blinded all those who gaze on it, and a loud explosion rang out kicking up a storm of dust and debris that swallowed the courtyard along with the professors and students.

Louise, while shielding her face from the light and dust, felt something wrap around her arms and waist. Her left hand began to burn with excruciating pain as she screamed in agony.

"LOUISE!" a voice yelled out. Was that Kirche? She couldn't tell over the screams of the students and the extreme pain that assaulted her body.

As she screamed in pain, she felt something wrap around her, and jerk her violently towards the portal her ritual had created. A heartbeat later, the world seemed to turn upside down and distort impossibly, and she blacked out just as the portal closed, signaling the end of the lightstorm.

The sounds of students' coughs and curses could be heard through the thick dust cloud, and Kirche struggled to gaze through the cloud to where Louise was standing. The cloud of dust finally settled, and the students let out sighs of relief that it was finally over. However, something was wrong. Kirche was the first to notice it, followed by Professor Colbert and Tabitha.

Louise was gone.

* * *

A few hours had past, with the sun barely visible over the horizon, and rumors had already festered through the student body, and even the professors, about the disappearance of the Vallière girl. Some saying that Louise ran away in shame in the confusion or that she was vaporized by her own spell. However, all the belongings of the young woman remained untouched in the now vacant room that Louise resided in and none of the guards spotted anyone leaving. Being vaporized was doubted since her wand was found in the center of the summoning circle completely untouched, as pristine as ever.

Ultimately, calmer heads, including the Headmaster and Professor Colbert, believed the pink-haired girl would eventually show up once she realized that running away would solve nothing. Although, there was one thing that everyone agreed on. The Vallière matriarch, Karin the Heavy Wind, would tear apart the academy in search of her youngest daughter if she did not return, and many worried there would be no academy left standing in her wake.

Despite the efforts of Professor Colbert and the headmaster, there was absolutely no trace of Louise in and around the academy. It was as if she simply vanished from the world. However, Kirche knew better and that knowledge had kept her nerves on the fray.

That _**black hand**_ that grabbed Louise and dragged her into the portal was the cause of her disappearance. Kirche tried telling the professor what she had seen, but her testimony was dismissed as shock from the explosion, and it was "well known" that they had been rivals, so it wasn't as if people would trust about her opinion on the matter. No one thought that a familiar summoning ritual would kidnap the summoner since that was just ridiculous in the eyes of everyone. After all, it had been used for over four thousand years, and nobody had ever had the slightest trouble with it, did they?

Guilt was now the companion of the Germanian. Perhaps if she hadn't teased Louise so much, that this would have never happened, if only she hadn't called her out to try out the summoning ritual, Louise would still be here. The feeling of guilt was a heavy weight on her, and she even shed a few tears at the thought that her actions caused this, something quite out of character for her. She had even turned away her scheduled "private" time with one of the older students on the excuse of not being in the mood, much to his displeasure.

A pale hand came to rest over hers, as she turned to meet the face of her oldest friend.

"Not your fault," assured Tabitha, a rare look of empathy gracing her usually blank features.

That was all it took for Kirche to decide on a course of action. She couldn't bring Louise back, not when she had no idea where to even begin, but the very least of what she could do was tell her rival's mother what she had seen. She may be believed, may not be, given that her family and the Vallières had something of a family feud, but she would try. The young woman just hoped The Heavy Wind wouldn't kill on her on the spot once she discovered she was speaking to a Zerbst.

* * *

Headmaster Osmond was quaking in his shoes as he penned the letter that would be sent to Vallières regarding the disappearance of their youngest daughter. The Heavy Wind would certainly be displeased to hear news that her daughter had disappeared in front of so many witnesses, yet left no trace to follow. He had sent out several of the academy's guards into the surrounding landscape in hopes of finding the first year, and he truly hoped she would return soon. Because if Ms. Vallière did not return, her Mother would, and knowing her, she would be riding her dreaded Manticore directly to the academy. Hopefully, it wouldn't eat too many students.

He placed the letter in his desk drawer, for the royal courier did not arrive until midday tomorrow, delivering and receiving the students' and business letters, and began to rub his eyes in anxiety. He turned to his mouse familiar, which was scampering up the side of his desk. He needed something to cheer him up and the mouse always knew what that was. Leaning closely to the mouse, he carefully listened to the squeaks, a lifetime of experience allowing him to decipher what would have been mere squeaks to others.

"Hoho!? Black lace? How daring!" he grinned, happily forgetting his imminent doom to immerge himself in the delightful world of female undergarments. That is, until a book violently collided with his head, sending him reeling.

"Headmaster, I will report you for sexual harassment if you ever do that again," coldly spoke his secretary, Miss Longueville, with her hand holding the book that she had used to hit him and ready to strike again.

"Hoho! You said that the last time and I am still here! Besides you mustn't stress yourself too much; You'll get wrinkles on your lovely face."

Groaning quietly to herself, she resigned herself, knowing that despite any formal complaint she may put against the old fart he wouldn't be dismissed from his position. He had too much political sway, and she needed him as a perverted old man so she could break into the academy's vault. Who would expect the beautiful, young secretary of being the thief?

* * *

Later that night, when most of the students and professors had retired to their quarters, a strange phenomenon was beginning to occur at the summoning grounds. In the center of the circle, a small flow of brown sand began to form a pile from seemingly nowhere, the rate of which increasing more and more quickly as the seconds past. Suddenly a flash of light burst into life, dumping a colossal wave of sand, and completely covered the summoning circle in sand.

A black plate-armored hand burst free from the sand, followed the sounds of coughing and grunting as a figure dug itself free from the sand that weighed on it. The figure eventually broke free from the its sandy prison, and came to a stand on its feet, nearly stumbling from the shifting sand underneath. The light being reflected off the moons, illuminated the figure to reveal a rather feminine form.

The woman who rose of the sands was just as beautiful as the twin moons that illuminated her. The armor she wore was graced by light pink, metal feathers that flowed off her left shoulder and down her left hip, showing a craftsmanship that bordered on art. Midnight-black plate armor wrapped around her hands and abdomen, coming up to her breasts, pushing them up and slightly emphasizing the generous mounds. Black leather thigh high boots came up to her mid-thigh, exposing the fair skin otherwise hidden underneath the metallic shell. The armor hugged the generous curves that graced the woman's body, and the flowing pink hair that cascaded alongside a light pink scarf of transparent fabric that fluttered in the non-existent wind. She looked like an angel from a painting, given life in all its ephemeralness.

However, this was all covered in a layer of coarse sand that irritated the woman as she sought to shake off the sand that coated her body. Eventually, she resigned herself knowing that she would have to remove her armor to get all the sand that invaded her personal space, internal cursing the offending grains of earth, and began to take in the scene around her.

"Now, let's see where we landed…" she mumbled, her voice surprisingly feminine for someone who looked so warrior-like.

Her gaze swirled about, the look on her face one of increasing disbelief and shock as she took in the stone structures towering over her and the twin moons that shone brightly on the night sky. Her pink eyes widened even more than previously thought possible, and her jaw fell slack, the pink-haired woman stammering, trying to form words that seem to be caught in her throat.

"No, no, no, no this isn't happening…" she groaned, bringing up her plated hand to her forehead and she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Very funny Zero, I thought we were past the illusions…" mumbled the woman, had anyone been present, they would have wondered if she wasn't mad to talk to herself. The shrill voice that answered her out of seemingly nowhere denied that possibility, though.

 _ **"Usiu sk cwk ux, Mzukcw."**_

"Hm? What do you mean that this isn't you?" Her eyebrow raised in disbelief, seeming to understand the strange language.

 _ **"Zps"**_

The single foreign word given in response caused the woman to grumble, the situation seemed to become real for her, her eye twitched as she took in the familiar scene.

"Right, let's figure out what the date is and we'll go from there," groaned Louise, for the woman was indeed the youngest Vallière daughter, walking into the building where she could still see some lights on. She faintly recalled this being the building that housed the servants and hoped that it remained the case, the clothes she was wearing underneath were in desperate need of a wash. Being in the Black Desert for weeks would do that to any clothing, having no readily available source of water to wash clothes with since the precious liquid was reserved purely for drinking. But she digressed, momentarily envying camels who found no trouble in the arid environment.

Louise came around the corner of the building and found a young woman in a maid uniform, with black, shoulder-length hair, humming merrily to herself as she washed the clothing of various students in a washbasin, oblivious to the world around her.

"Excuse me," she called out, startling the girl.

"Kya!" the young maid yelped, tossing a soaking wet garment into the air, gracefully flying through the air in a perfect trajectory, and landed directly on Louise's face.

The poor victim stood there in silence, almost rejoicing as the cold water, that dripped from the garment, flowed down her face and cooled her, and the black-haired maid looked on with horror on her face. Louise slowly peeled away the offending article of clothing, and revealed a cold smile that froze the maid in place. She tossed the clothing back into the washbasin, and turned to face the horrified maid.

"May I ask for you name?" asked Louise, her smile growing and showing off too many teeth to be anything but threatening.

"Siesta, Ma'am!" squeaked the female servant, her mind no doubt thinking of the worst case scenarios for offending the noble (she looked like a noble despite her rather disheveled appearance, being covered in sand after all, and the strange looking wand(blade?) that hung from her hip indicated that the woman was one) in front on her. Insulting a noble was one of the scariest things a commoner could do in Halkeginia, they could demand almost anything from payment to one's life and there was little the commoners could do, the law being heavily in favor of the nobles. The same thoughts coursed through poor Siesta's mind. At the very least, a traitorous part of her mind whispered to her, this noble was a woman, which excluded the very real possibility of being taken as a sex slave. Better death than be treated like an animal for the remainder of her life, at least in her opinion.

Taking a closer view at the girl's face, Louise was reminded of the human inhabitants of Magoria, an oceanic region in the previous world she was in. Although, her large breasts were rather uncharacteristic of the traditionally slim people, and perhaps Louise would have been jealous of them in her past life, but not anymore. However, she wasn't interested in the maid herself, instead she was more interested in what the maid could do for her.

"Siesta, how about we forget this ever happened in exchange for a small favor?"

"Anything Ma'am!" frantically nodded the maid. The way it had been worded, it shouldn't be too hard, and if that was all it took for the scary-looking noble to forget the incident, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

"Could you wash my clothes?" Asked the older woman, looking slightly amused at the near-hysteria of the girl. Louise was thinking of teasing the poor girl, but decided against it, given that she was already panicking enough

"Yes Ma'am!... I mean… is that all?" the maid internally let out a sigh of relief, she was expecting eternal servitude or even having to grovel before the noble.

"Well I could use a nice bath as well," added Louise, brushing herself off, causing more grains of sand to come free.

"Of course, Ma'am. The bath is this way and I will wash your clothes as you bathe," nodded a significantly calmer Siesta as she motioned for her to follow, Louise looking forwards to her first bath in quite a while.

* * *

"Siesta," called a freshly bathed Louise, watching the maid, who was still cleaning clothes. For students living in quite relative cleanliness, the children in the academy certainly had a lot of dirty laundry.

Louise had procured some clothes, much to the confusion of the young maid, wondering where she had gotten them, that looked rather exotic, like the extremely rare and expensive clothing that came from beyond the Holy Lands. The older woman had said it was called a yukata and was very beautiful, being ornamented with the designs of several desert flowers in bloom, that stood out against the silky, black fabric with her wand(blade?) was neatly inserted into the ribbon that held the yukata together. Siesta's breathe had nearly left her when she first laid eyes on the woman after bathing, as her beauty had captivated the young maid.

"Yes Ma'am?" replied Siesta, still addressing her as "Ma'am" as the woman had not yet shared her name, while she continued to scrub the clothing with soap, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks.

"May I ask you a question? You may answer without fear of repercussion."

"May I hear the question first?" replied Siesta, pausing in her task. She wouldn't be honest until she knew what the woman wanted, more often than not being honest, even when asked to, was the best way to get on a noble's bad side. Many a maid had gotten in trouble after a young lady had asked for their honest opinion on their clothing.

"I suppose it is only fair," Louise tilted her head upwards towards the twin moons that hung in the sky, and let out a deep sigh before she asked her question.

"Say you went on a journey, and through a great deal of trials you gained power," she began, a forlorn look on her face, "When you eventually returned home, nothing had changed, but now you have the ability to change everything. To control your own fate, and I ask of you... What would you do?"

Siesta hummed in thought, her brows furrowed. No doubt she had thought of such a scenario before, what commoner hadn't? The ability to cast magic was what separated the commoners and the nobility, and ultimately determined your fate in Halkeginia. Many commoners had secretly hoped, at least once, that they'd wake up the next day with the ability to use magic, which would have changed their life without a single doubt.

"I guess if I was a noble," began the maid, Louise raising an eyebrow that she would associate the power to control one's own fate with being a noble. Then again, the economy wasn't as developed here as it was in the various kingdoms that resided in the other world. Citizens were almost always guaranteed a job as a worker or soldier, at least males were, in which their wages were paid directly by the government through heavy taxes and the contractors whose responsibility, by honor and law, were to ensure a safe working environment, lodging, and nourishment for their workers. It wasn't a perfect system, but it guaranteed a low unemployment and homelessness rate, and led to women making many social and technological improvement with the free time they had. Louise herself held just over a hundred individual contracts in several cities for when she needed certain raw materials.

"I would make sure my family was taken care of," continued Siesta as she turned towards Louise, who appeared as if she wasn't satisfied with the answer, so the black-haired girl continued.

"My family lives in a small, remote village as farmers, and while it's a relatively safe occupation, we're constantly at the mercy of the nobility, bandits, and the elements that may make or break us on a whim. My parents are always living in fear that one day the noble who owns the land we live on will increase the tax rate, bandits may target the village, or a bad season will leave us starved. It's one of the reasons I came to work as a maid at the academy, so I could send money back home, and even then, it's barely more than I would make if I owned a farm.

So, if I was a noble, I would take responsibility to make sure that my family and those around me can live their lives free of fear," finished Siesta, before blushing, realizing that she had basically told a stranger about her deepest motivations, "Well that's all assuming I could cast magic in the first place."

"Noblesse oblige, huh…" whispered Louise, and Siesta looked at her in confusion. Seeing her look, she explained:

"The term you describe is noblesse oblige, the duty of the nobles to conduct themselves properly to their peers and to show respect and generosity to those below them. An ideal, regrettably, not practiced as much as it should be."

Even in the other world, many nobles manipulated and used the commoners, and the protests in the capital city of Calpheon was the first example that came to her mind. A plague had torn through the farming communities of the capital causing great poverty and starvation, with the nobles of parliament doing nothing but bicker amongst themselves as they sat upon their golden thrones of privilege. Her frown deepened she remembered images of countless dead who were carted away to be burned, and those who didn't die became nothing more than beasts, lashing out at any who came near, including friends and family.

"It sounds fancy," giggled the young maid as she began to warm up to the woman, with Louise quietly laughing alongside her. Truth be told, Siesta knew that some nobles took their positions seriously, like Princess Henrietta, who was said to be an extremely kind and benevolent woman. Unfortunately, for every noble like that, there were a dozen who were all too happy to abuse their position.

"Anyways, I have much to thank you for Siesta. You help me make a weighty decision," smiled the pink-haired woman as she held her hand up high. Snapping her fingers with a motion that was much too fast for the black-hair girl to follow, suddenly a strange looking coin nearly the size of her hand appeared in the mage's palm, which she then tossed to the maid, who yelped as she caught it. It was heavier than it looked, with a layer of dirt on it that hid most of the details on it, making her frown.

In her confusion, the well-endowed maid dipped the coin in the washbasin and began to rub furiously, revealing a silvery shimmer underneath. Realizing what the noble had just given her, she was about to protest that had done nothing to warrant such an expensive gift but was met with a raised hand that stopped her.

"Don't worry it's not going to harm me, just try not to spend it all in one place," smiled Louise at the flabbergasted girl. "Also, don't go to a pawn shop, go to an artifact collector since that coin belongs to an ancient civilization that predates even the Founder Brimir." The part about the ancient civilization was true, but not quite the same world, not to mention the ancient coin was a drop in a bucket due to the amount of excavations of ancient ruins she had contracted her workers to do.

Looking to give her upmost thanks to the mysterious woman but stopped when Siesta realized she didn't even the woman's name.

"May I ask what your name is Ma'am? I would like to properly thank you."

'Oh, that's right, I never actually introduced myself, did I?' realized Louise. With a push on the wall she was leaning on, she stood, her arms giving a flourish as she bowed.

"My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Vallière, The Desert Flower of Valencia, but I am more commonly known as the Black Mage."

"Thank you Miss Valliè… EHHH!?" gasped the maid, her eyes wide as saucers. One of the benefits of being a maid was that she was treated pretty much as furniture, which allowed her to pick up most of the rumors in the Academy. She had thus heard of those about the De Vallière's disappearance, and to hear that the woman she had been talking to was the mage nicknamed "the Zero" was a shock, especially as she was not supposed to be a fully-grown woman.

"Well, I shall be heading to my room, hopefully I still remember where it is. Please drop off my clothing tomorrow morning and have a good night, Siesta," mischievously grinned Louise as she walked off towards the tower that held her old room, leaving the dumbstruck maid behind. No doubt the academy would be in an uproar the next morning and she would rather have a good night's rest in preparation.

* * *

 **Authors Notes** :

I decided to have a different start mostly to explain why Louise would be sticking around and not immediately setting off, but the following events should overall stay the same. I saw that many of you did not like the Karin I depicted being overly trigger-happy and I'm inclined to agree in post. However, this does not excuse the inappropriate and depreciating reviews left by 'guests' who would only post such things under anonymity.

There will be flashbacks and parts of chapters dedicated to what happened to Louise while in the other world, and parts that reference elements from BDO lore/events will be explained with necessary information for those who haven't played the game. There will be some original events that are of my creation however.

Thanks for reading the second story that I've created! Black Mage is a crossover between Black Desert Online and Familiar of Zero, and I dare say that it's the first Black Desert fanfiction on this site!

As for pairings. I'm not quite sure how I would go for it. I was originally planning on Louise X Henrietta or Louise X Kirche but I realized that Kirche literally falls head over heels for anyone who shows strength of character or agency. So, I'm leaning more towards Henrietta. Not sure, let me know what you think and your ideas!

If you want an idea of the outfit she's wearing because I suck at description. Google Black Desert Sylvia outfit. Just imagine it mostly black with the feathery parts pink.

Please leave a review on your thoughts of this story!

Big thanks to Arawn D. Draven to beta'ing this chapter! Please check out his stories as well!

* * *

 **Answering Reviews** :

Good - Thanks for liking my initial chapter, in the FoZ world there was not a timeskip, but in the other world it did. Time flowed differently for Louise.

Robo Reader 21 - I'm changing things up so she won't be into conflict with her mother this soon. However, due to her time in the Black Desert, she actually stands up for herself.

InsaneInfinityBlade - I have things planned out for Siesta and Saito (Saito won't be making a direct appearance in FoZ world, the Black Spirit will mostly fill it). I hope to carry this story as far as I can, so perhaps all the way to season 3. (With changes that result from Louise of course, I hate static stories!)


	2. Ch 2: Spirit

**.**

 **Black Mage**

 **Chapter 02: Spirit**

* * *

"Talking normally," said Louise.

'Thinking to myself,' thought Louise

 _ **"Check out my teeth!"**_ exclaimed the Black Spirit.

* * *

 _ **You are among the chosen few who resonate with us,**_

 _ **We need you,**_

 _ **A sacrifice from a realm beyond our own.**_

* * *

|~~Flashback~~|

Several moments past and a loud crashing noise echoed through the air, followed by the panicked squawks of hens and roosters who fled the scene. A chicken coop laid destroyed as a groaning, yet barely conscious, pink-haired girl laid in the middle of the wreckage, covered in hay, feathers, and the yolk of crushed eggs.

"No!" cried out a deep, masculine voice at the destruction of the chicken coop, followed by several other panicked voices as they scrambled to round up the escaped hens, the volatiles already scattering, enjoying their newfound freedom.

Amidst the chaos of chicken cries and angry mutterings as people tried to catch the elusive birds, the sounds of gravel crunching under a boot came nearer to where the young girl lay delirious.

"Wale! Someone's unconscious here!" called a woman, pointing towards the half-unconscious girl responsible for the wreckage of the coop. Moments past by and the girl felt a massive hand pick her body up, unable to do anything as she felt her body start to warm up uncomfortably, sweat forming on her brow as a delicate hand took the temperature of her skin.

"She's burning up!" cried out the woman, alarmed, "Bring her to Gray! And someone get Corin for some medicine!"

The delirious girl moaned in pain as she was carried away at a brisk pace, the world blurring past her eyes before darkness encroached upon her vision once more, her fever getting the better of her and sending her to sweet unconsciousness.

What seemed to be days went on, the sick girl sometimes waking up briefly, delirious with fever, before going back to sleep. Eventually, came a day she regained consciousness without the delirious haze plaguing her mind, and she immediately tried to shift her body, only to groan in discomfort as she felt her muscles ache with soreness. Bandages were wrapped around her head and arms as they covered the bruises and cuts that laid underneath, the remnants of her arrival having somewhat faded, even if some were still there. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the simplistic living arrangement she found herself in, basic wooden furniture laid arranged about the room, and a thick wool blanket covered her body while she rested. She tried to remember where she was, but her thoughts were thick with a heavy fog, the remnants of her fever giving her a headache and making it hard to concentrate on anything but on how unwell she felt.

 _ **"I've existed in this world since time immemorial…"**_

The girl nearly jumped as an eerily distorted voice echoed through the room she was in, though she could still somewhat understand the words spoken. Her eyes swept across around the room as she tried to find the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from every direction, confusion and fear worn on her face.

 _ **"And now I'll regain my lost power through you…"**_

Now firmly convinced that she was going insane, since she was hearing voices that clearly she shouldn't hear, the frightened girl covered her ears as she tried to drown out the voices. Who was speaking to her? Where was she? Why was she in this bed?

 _ **"Hm? Did you really forget our contract?"**_

This time, the voice was distinctly mocking, with a hint of arrogance.

 _ **"Until our journey ends, your memories are mine, remember?"**_

Thrown into an even deeper panic, the pink-eyed girl tried to remember anything, even the most insignificant of things, but nothing worked. She couldn't remember anything: pets, friends, where she lived, or even if she had any family, the only reward for her efforts being a sharp pain ringing through her head, as if to warn her against trying to delve deeper into her memories.

 _ **"Heh-heh. Now you want your memory back? You want to know what you were before you met me?"**_ asked the voice, its tone dripping with smug satisfaction, and a black shade entered her view. It's glowing red eyes pierced into her, as if gazing directly into her soul, and the young maiden's eyes widened in shock at the being that hovered mere inches away from her face.

 _ **"Dwelling over the past does no good. Let us unite and define the future!"**_

She couldn't refrain from letting out an ear-splitting scream of terror.

|~~Flashback End~~|

* * *

"Mm, five more minutes…" grumbled the pink-haired woman as she turned in the soft, feathery bed.

Even as a grown woman, Louise was not a morning person, though she had good reason to enjoy the comfort of a real bed, since it had been a while since she had last been able to sleep so comfortably. Her pink eyes opened for a moment's glance only to find piercing, red glowing eyes that stared back, but she wasn't surprised or at all uncomfortable with the unnatural and unnerving orbs staring back at her. Louise merely closed her eyes shut and shifted her body in the opposite direction, hoping to sleep for a few more precious minutes. Sweet, blissful sleep.

 _ **"Wake up, Louise,"**_ mumbled the entity.

Said entity was distinctive enough that she couldn't mistake it for another, looking like a black phantom with bone-white plates adorning its body, resembling hieroglyphs, and a long black garb that draped over it like a hooded cloak, and it was currently doing its best to wake her up. Slightly annoyed, the reaper-looking creature drew out his long bony, black hand from under its cloak and began to poke the half-awake woman on the cheek, causing her to groan in irritation and swat the offending limb away.

 _ **"Someone is coming,"**_ insisted the being as it tried to shake Louise awake, pointing towards the door with its other hand.

"Ugh…" groaned the sleepy woman.

A huff of defiance and more pokes came from the spirit as Louise spat out in irritation, knowing that at that point the odds of her being able to return to sleep were null.

"Alright, I'm up!" groaned Louise as she straightened herself into a sitting position in bed, her eyes fluttering at the sight of the sun's rays coming through the sole window. She turned to face her ever-present companion, taking in its rather intimating appearance, looking as if death himself had come for her soul as she slept. Although, this did little to nothing to the young woman, as she had been rendered immune due to her many years of partnership with the being. Louise had always preferred the old form the spirit had taken back they first met, being a rather adorable little black blob of narcissism and questionable morality, but now that they were both far more powerful it had taken on a much more fear-inducing form. Though she guessed that it was better that way. Trying to intimidate people while looking like a mere blob of darkness was pretty much impossible.

Foregoing the need to say anything, Louise merely smacked her lips as her mind began its transition to awareness and raised both her arms high above her as the woman yawned loudly, uncaring of what, years before, she would have deemed "noble etiquette". Her gaze rested on the window, the light indicating that it was around time for the students' breakfast.

A soft knock came from the door, followed soon afterwards by a familiar voice.

"Miss Vallière?"

Louise glanced towards her partner who needed no words to understand her and instantly vanished from the room, disappearing into nothingness.

"A moment please," called out Louise, hopping out of bed and walking over to the mirror on her room's table to freshen up. It wouldn't do to have bed hair since she didn't gain her many titles looking like a slob, and hastily straightened out her long hair with the brush that lay on a nearby table. As she was brushing she noticed the familiar runes that were branded on her left hand, and gave them a close inspection as she brought them under the morning light. They appeared as fresh as the day they were branded on her all those years ago, without any hint of fading.

 _'How am I going to explain this? Especially to my mother…_ ' thought Louise, but pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind for now, deciding to take things one step at a time since she had someone who was waiting for her on the other side of the door. Earlier in her life, she would have scoffed at the idea of making a commoner wait, but her life experience had shown her that common courtesy was the very least one could offer to others, and if they didn't, they were hardly fit to be called nobility.

The pink-haired woman opened the door to find the maid, Siesta, from the previous night, standing rather timidly, her gaze staying fixed to the floor as she held clothing and plate armor pieces neatly arranged in her arms.

"Miss Vallière, I have your attire and armor, cleaned and dried," stated the black-haired maid, who seemed to be unsure of how to interact with Louise, and the pink-haired mage noticed.

"Perfect timing, Siesta. Please come in and set them down on the table," gestured the young woman as she pointed towards the table, but found two steaming cups of tea that sat there instead, the golden-amber liquid appeared very appealing to Louise who had just awakened a few moments ago.

"Actually, just place them on the bed," corrected the beauty, mentally thanking her partner, and receiving a brief mental grunt in answer.

"Yes Ma'am," replied Siesta as she unquestioningly followed the command, placing Louise's belongings on the table, before standing at attention, her hands folded in front of her and biting her lips. It was clear from a glance that she had plenty of questions to ask, but the ingrained instinct to not speak before being talked to prevented her from voicing them. It was something that all servants picked up fast, especially in an academy filled with hormonal, and as such, highly volatile teenagers with tempers to match their magic.

Taking a seat on one of the chairs next to the wooden table, Louise beckoned for the nervous maid to sit down as well, Siesta following the wordless command after a few seconds of hesitating.

Picking up one of the teacups that sat in front of her, she took a long and slow sip of the invigorating liquid that warmed her body and let out a sigh of relief as her lips parted from the cup.

"Please have some tea, you look as if you need some," she gestured to the uncomfortable maid, who, in response, slowly lifted the other cup to her soft lips and blew on the steaming liquid to cool it down before taking a sip. Her eyes immediately widened as she felt the warmth trickle down her throat and spread throughout her body, it felt incredibly refreshing and it was unlike any other tea she had ever drunk or prepared herself. Her shoulders fell in relaxation and her worries seemed to dissipate with each passing moment.

A self-indulgent smile made its way across Louise's face, knowing that it was the exactly same reaction herself had when she had first drunk the tea under the starry, Valencian sky.

"I've never had tea like this before," eagerly commented Siesta, who, despite her experience with tea, was unable to identify the ingredients, "What kind of tea is this?"

"It's a tea made from the star anise fruit, mainly consumed for its ability for refreshing the body and staving off the cold," especially during the sub-zero temperatures that fell along with the sunset, nights in the desert were just as dangerous as the overbearing sun. If you weren't burn alive by the scorching day, you would be frozen solid by the icy nights.

"Oh, so it's a foreign fruit, a shame," nodded the black-haired maid with a bit of sadness, and raised her teacup to drink more but found that her cup was already empty, "I would love to have more."

Silence fell over the two once more, a few moments past and Louise finally finished her cup of tea.

Breaking the silence, she decided to ask the maid for what could be troubling her, even if she had a good idea as to what it was.

"So Siesta, no doubt you have many questions regarding myself. But before I can answer any of them I have to ask you one thing," remarked the pink-haired woman. "Did you tell anyone of my return last night?"

"Yes Ms. Vallière. I…"

"Please just call me Louise, I feel as though we are speaking to my sister or mother." She had always disliked the overly formal addressment whenever she dealt with nobility or higher society, and felt that while there was a time and place for such things, it normally got in the way.

"Yes Ms. Val…. Louise," Siesta caught and quickly corrected herself, but still felt uncomfortable doing so. This was the first time any noble had requested her, personally, to address them informally, and normally nobles only did so when they wanted something from them. At least Louise was a woman, if it had been a man, she would already be trying to leave. Male nobles only had one thing in mind for young maids like her, and she wanted no part of it.

"The servants were under orders to report to the headmaster directly if we came across Ms. Vallière. So, I after you left last night, I ran to the headmaster's office and told him of your reappearance…. Should I not have?"

"No, no. I honestly expected that and saved myself the trouble of doing so. How did you explain my… growth?" asked the older woman with slight trepidation.

"While I told them of your return, I didn't know exactly now how to explain your…" The well-endowed maid ran her gaze up and down the woman who sat in front of her, who was a far-cry from the petite girl she once was, "Growth... I just told them you had undergone some changes, but I believe the headmaster took it as a mental sort of change and was immediately dismissed."

And who would even believe that a sixteen-year-old girl had returned now a fully-grown woman? Not that Siesta even deeply questioned the fact that such a thing was even possible, magic could do everything in her eyes and something like this just fell under more "noble magic."

 _'Hm, that's rather strange. I should have been kicked out of the academy since I failed, in their eyes, the familiar summoning ritual'_ pondered the pink-haired woman as she held a hand to her chin and furrowed her brow in thought.

 _ **"Perhaps they are giving you some space for your 'delicate' state of mind before they kick you out,"**_ "Grinned" the voice in her mind, sarcasm lacing its tone.

"Louise?" asked Siesta, as she tried to, unsuccessfully, gain the young woman's attention.

 _'Maybe, but I'm not exactly "Louise the Zero" anymore.'_

 _ **"Zero? Wait… you gave me the name of your old moniker? One of failure!?"**_ growled the voice of Louise's partner, who until then had not commented too much on the name she had chosen for it.

 _'Well to be fair, I didn't have my memories at the time and Zero was the name that held the most significance to me. If anything, we proved that Zero is a title of success, not failure,'_ calmly interjected the tea-drinking woman.

 _ **"Hmm, I'll accept that since we have come a long way,"**_ grudgingly acknowledged the spirit.

"Miss Vallière!" repeated Siesta, this time with more success, as Louise seemed to notice the maid looking at her questioningly.

"Ah, my apologies Siesta, I have a bad habit of getting lost in my thoughts," apologized Louise, looking a bit sheepish.

"Oh no! Miss Va… Louise," she amended. It appeared it would take some time for Siesta to truly get used to the idea of addressing a noble informally, not that it would ever be the norm. "If anything, I apologize for interrupting your thoughts."

"It's fine," reassured Louise with a shrug, "Regardless, did you have something to say?"

"Yes, while I don't think I'm supposed to tell you but wasn't explicitly told otherwise, the headmaster instructed me to keep a close eye on you by being your personal attendant as you remain at the academy."

 _ **"Again, 'delicate' state of mind, probably wondering if you will commit suicide,"**_ Snickered Zero, apparently amused by the idea.

 _'That was a long time ago, Zero. I'm not a little girl anymore!'_ she shot back.

 _ **"Still we should convert the maid to our side, we don't want her feeding back information on us, even if we are careful there is still the risk of slipping up. Plus, we never had a personal servant before unless you count those two fae that took a rather strange liking to your hair."**_ Suggested the Black Spirit, and Louise recalled the two eccentric faeries that gushed over the color of her hair (apparently pink was a possible hair color for the fae), so much so that they followed her everywhere when Louise was in Kamasylvia, and even got them to do a few odd errands occasionally. It took cutting off some locks of her pink hair to get them to finally leave her alone for a moment, but she needed the hair cut at the time anyways. Surprisingly, they were very good hairdressers for creatures that naturally resided within the depths of the untamed forest.

"Interesting," mumbled the pink-haired woman, "Perhaps we can make it a permanent arrangement, Siesta," Stated Louise as she smiled at the young maid whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Being the personal attendant of any noble was a huge honor, especially for a family as powerful and close to the royal family as the Vallières, and through years of service practically put the attendant on the same level as low nobility, not that they were respected as such. A commoner was still a commoner after all.

However, less-than-savory nobles took advantage of a loophole in servant-contract laws to do unscrupulous things to their servant, especially with attractive female servants they took a fancy to. Not that the young maid suspected Ms. Vallière of ever committing such an act, they were both women after all and she had treated her with kindness so far. Though that led her thoughts in a drastically different direction.

 _'Oh, Founder Brimir! This is just like in one of my novels! The nobleman who falls for the humble maid! However, Ms. Vallière is a woman! But that makes it even more forbidden! Kyaaa!'_ Quietly squealed the teen, her imagination running wild as a heavy blush tinted her cheeks.

Louise looked rather confused at the strange antics of the black-haired maid and spoke to hopefully bring Siesta back to reality.

"Anyways, is the kitchen serving breakfast? I am rather famished since tea itself does little to stave hunger," asked Louise, snapping the maid out of her fantasy-induced delusions.

"Oh!" Exclaimed the young maid as she cleared her throat.

"They should be serving in a few minutes and I must return to my other duties," answered Siesta who realized she was still required to do her other duties at the academy and that she had spent more time with the older woman than she originally anticipated.

The black-haired maid stood, bowed to the pink-haired woman as she thanked Louise for the wonderful tea, then departed for her kitchen duties, the door clicking shut as the young maid left the room.

Louise walked over to the bundle of clothing and armor that sat on the bedside, and picked up the tunic that went underneath the armor and closely examined it. The fabric's various stains and sweat marks were all gone along with the grains of sand, and had a pleasant scent (lavender?) that accompanied the clean fabric. The plate armor and gauntlets had a luster that indicated that they had been scrubbed and perhaps given a buff as the pink-eyed woman stared at her reflection in the metal. The joints had even been oiled as they no longer gave that horrid squeak when the joints moved that grated her nerves every time she heard it. Although the damage spread in various parts of her armor were still apparent since no amount of cleaning or repair would cover them up. Not that Louise wanted them to be, they were trophies of all the struggles she went through, not even counting the scars that lined her body.

All in all, Siesta did an amazing job in cleaning her attire, her attention to detail and dedication to her tasks were first-class.

Regardless of her thoughts she had a few goals to accomplish, the immediate one was to feed her stomach, who just let out an unsettling growl, and Louise sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as she realized she hadn't had a proper meal in days. She quickly put on the clothing and grabbed the elemental blade in its sheath, but decided to forego the armor as she felt it wouldn't be needed at the academy, it wasn't like there would be people who were after her head in Halkeginia. And even if there were they could get in line, a very lengthy line.

The door slammed shut as Louise walked out of her room, locked the room behind her, and began the walk towards the dining hall.

* * *

 _'Are the familiars afraid of us?'_ wondered Louise as she walked across the courtyard to the dining hall where the various mundane and fantastical familiars waited for their masters outside, but in this case, they all seemed to have fled to hug the academy's walls in the hopes to put as much distance between themselves and Louise as possible. The blue-scaled dragon, who was summoned by Tabitha (Louise vaguely recalled), seemed to have stayed its ground, but kept an attentive eye on her as she moved across the courtyard.

 _ **"Not surprising, most magical creatures tend to avoid us to begin with. However, we should be wary of any mages that could possibly feel my presence,"**_ stated Zero, invisibly tagging alongside Louise as she walked to the dining hall, not that they could ever be separated in the first place.

 _'Good point. Although, I imagine if the headmaster, who is a powerful mage in his own right, can't detect you, then no one else can.'_

 _ **"I'm glad we don't have to deal with elves anymore, pointy-eared bastards always knew I was there, giving us the stink-eye. Humans are so much simpler to deal with."**_

 _'I'll take that as a compliment. Besides Orwen wasn't that bad, she was nice to the both of us.'_

"Bah! She was more than "nice" for you," snickered the Black Spirit as Louise's face turned a deep scarlet as she recalled her half-elf friend, especially after that one time in the temple under the cool shade of trees…

 _'Alright that's enough, I'm going to have a peaceful breakfast and you're going to be quiet as I enjoy my meal!'_ replied Louise, annoyed, as she cast the embarrassing thoughts away, her partner just chuckling with the grin the pink-haired woman knew it had on its face. Ignoring her companion, she walked inside the dining hall.

* * *

"O great founder Brimir and Her Royal Highness, we are once again grateful for the humble meal that you have brought us this morning. Amen."

The prayers of the students and professors came to an end just as Louise walked into the dining hall, and the students fell into the usual habits of teenagers crowded in a single location. In other words, they gossiped.

"Hey, hey, did you hear? Louise the Zero came back last night. I heard some of the guards were withdrawn from the search this morning," squealed a young brunette, easily heard by anyone with even a modicum of intention to listen in, followed by the rest of the student body who quickly devolved into the subject of the runaway girl who disappeared the previous day. The two students glanced over to where Louise usually sat, but found the chair empty.

"Maybe she couldn't even bare the shame and decided to not show up for breakfast?" giggled the two girls, unaware that the subject of their gossip had heard every word.

Louise glanced over the entire room and found Kirche and Tabitha sat next to another. Surprisingly Kirche had stayed silent and had not joined rumor-mongering that festered in the room, as she slowly picked at the food that sat in front of her, while Tabitha just looked as uninterested as usual as she held a book with one hand and fed herself with the other, eating her food in an almost mechanical manner.

Louise glanced over to the table where the professors sat and it was obvious that even they were uncomfortable with the rumors that spread throughout the student body. They had been informed of her return, but were rather downcast, especially Professor Colbert, when they found her chair empty this morning.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Louise walked forward, praying that she would be left alone long enough to enjoy breakfast, her stomach graciously reminding her of how famished she was, and that no one would detect her ever-present companion. Professor Colbert was the first to notice the pink-haired woman walking down the aisle towards the empty seat, especially since she was not wearing the student uniform, and his brows furrowed in confusion at who this mysterious young woman was. The other professors, noticing their colleague's stare, also joined, slowly followed one-by-one from the students as the pink-haired beauty drifted between the students.

Clearly, they would have to question the maid who had said Miss Vallière had returned, considering that the woman in front of them was certainly not the young girl they knew. The Headmaster whispered something to a brown-haired, female servant that stood at attention next to him, and the female servant left the room with a small mouse scurrying after her.

"Is that the Duchess?" A hushed murmur broke the silence.

"No, the Duchess is much older, this must be Zero's sister, probably here to drag her home," another quiet voice interjected.

"Ah! Such beauty! Truly worthy of the Vallière name!" loudly remarked a blond boy, wearing a rather frilly shirt along with his uniform, taking a grandiose pose and holding out a rose to the pink-haired woman. Who promptly ignored him in favor of the delicious-looking breakfast laid out on the table.

"Guiche!" growled another blonde, this time a teenage girl wearing her hair in ringlets, looking quite annoyed at her male counterpart.

"Fret not Montmorency, you are still the most beautiful rose in this field of flowers!" quickly stated the blonde teen in an effort to spare himself the feminine wrath of his companion, said feminine wrath dissolving into quiet mumblings of embarrassment.

Once again ignoring the blonde pair's antic, Louise finally reached her seat and sat down. She beckoned one of the servants over, who brought a tray topped with various breakfast items like soup, a loaf of bread, fruits, and a cup of freshly squeezed juice. The pink-haired woman began to eat, savoring every bite, and softly moaned as the warm, delicious bread and chunky soup were scooped into her mouth. She tried to mind her own business but the stares that came from around her were rather off-putting. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't had a decent meal in days, being in the Black Desert required strict rationing of meals to ensure that it lasted, and frivolous things like warm-baked bread and fresh fruits held no place in the sandy desert.

Once again, Louise found herself envying the four-legged ungulates, wondering how much simpler life would be if she had been a camel. Then again, they spit everywhere, smelled like a wet rag, and their hair matted constantly, so she would much rather not.

"Ahem!" Louise loudly cleared her throat as she not-so-subtly broadcasted the message to mind their own business, and the students took note and returned to their own meals, quietly whispering amongst themselves.

Kirche the Ardent certainly wasn't expecting an elder sister of Louise the Zero to be so… ravishing, the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders, the subtle sway in her hips, luminous diamond-pink eyes that held such determination, and generous proportions that nearly surpassed her own.

If all Vallière woman were like this, then how in the name of the Founder Brimir did her ancestor even manage to steal a man from the family was beyond her. Better yet, how could Louise even be related to this woman? The woman who was currently devouring her meal, like she hasn't seen bread before, and while the current behavior wasn't all that appealing, the way the pink-haired woman sauntered into the dining hall had caused her to inadvertently hold her breath before the loud reminder told her she could breathe once more.

Shaking her head to dismiss the thoughts, Kirche was just about to stand to confront the Vallière, to tell the woman everything that she saw at the summoning ritual, but was held back by her long-time friend, who shook her head.

"Later, make scene," succinctly stated the blue-haired mage, who seemed to be captivated by the woman as well, but likely for another reason if her narrowed eyes were any indication.

Acknowledging her friend's suggestion, Kirche and Tabitha quickly finished their meals and patiently waited for the pink-haired woman for their inevitable confrontation.

 _'Ah… that was the most delicious thing I've ever had,'_ internally moaned the now satisfied Louise as she gently pushed forward the empty tray in front of her. She beckoned one of the servants to come near and told to pass on her regards to the chef for a wonderful meal, not before she was informed that the Headmaster wished to see her in his office.

Acknowledging the message, the pink-haired woman nodded at the servant and rose from her chair to leave, immediately followed by a red and blue-haired pair that discretely trudged after her.

* * *

 _ **"Incoming,"**_ warned Zero, and Louise turned around to find a familiar pair of female students tracing her steps as she paced towards the tallest tower in the academy that held the Headmaster's office. No doubt they were curious as to who she was, and Louise inwardly grinned to herself as she stood next the Zerbst, knowing that she wasn't "little Louise" anymore.

"May I help you, Miss…?" asked Louise, hoping to keep the mystery of who she was for a while longer since most of the student body had seemed not to believe that she had returned and mistaken her for a family member (not that most of the students would notice that it had only been a single night since her "disappearance").

"Kirche von Anhalt-Zerbst," introduced the red-head, and Louise narrowed her eyebrows in response since their families were rivals of sorts.

"Tabitha," muttered the blue-haired girl standing alongside her busty companion.

"A pleasure," she nodded towards the somber girl who returned the gesture in kind, and turned towards her past tormentor.

"Now why would a Zerbst would approach me given our families'… history?" remarked Louise, lightly tapping the handle of the blade that hug from her right hip and laughing within herself at the expense of the younger female. Kirche might have been the most mature of them the last time they had met, but her experiences in the desert had made her into a woman that wasn't intimidated by anything but the truly impressive.

Wilting under the steely stare of the older woman, Kirche was quickly gaining a new respect for her disappeared rival since growing up alongside a woman as intimidating as this couldn't have been easy.

"This isn't the time for petty squabbles between families and I know Louise. She wouldn't let something like another failed spell cause her to start avoiding everyone," replied Kirche, trying, and failing, to sound confident as she swallowed her nervousness.

Scrutinizing the Zerbst in front of her, who held her ground under the scrutinizing glare, Louise had to refrain from laughing at the remark.

"True, I would hope that Louise would not be as weak-willed as that," she nodded, Kirche's hopes raising slightly, "However, that still does not explain your concern with her to begin with," she quickly added, her steely stare making it clear that she was not impressed with the redhead's explanation.

Kirche shifted uncomfortably under the scrutinizing stare of the older woman.

"Because Louise is missing, and I believe that something took her, even if nobody believes me."

The woman's eyes slightly widened in surprise, before they returned to their furrowed state.

"Explain," she ordered.

Kirche told her everything that occurred, minus the bullying, from when Louise began the ritual to when it ended, with as much clarity and observations as she could think of. When she finished recounting the tale, Louise to let out a deep sigh before she furrowed her brow in thought. That was one piece of her memory that she never regained, the actual summoning ritual itself, and now alongside the testimony that Kirche had given her and her regained memories, she had a complete picture of what had happened to her at that moment that changed her life forever.

 _'Well, it's fairly obvious that Kirche saw you Zero,'_ mentally stated Louise to her partner.

 _ **"Hmph, we cannot let anyone know of my presence,"**_ stated the Black Spirit, " _ **This human might tell someone and if what you spoke of is true, her words could be the ruin of us."**_

 _'I don't think she'd tell anyone and from her story, no one believed her anyways. But we will have to explain my growth however, we can't have a daughter of the most trusted household to the Royal Family go missing. I will not let such a scandal to tarnish my family name.'_

 _ **"Our family name, Louise. We are one-in-same after all,"**_ chuckled Zero, knowing how close they were.

 _'Right, because my mother is going to accept a Black Spirit as a family member, one that tried to corrupt and take control over her daughter's body,'_ deadpanned Louise.

 _ **"I merely jest, let us not relive painful memories."**_

Cutting off her quick mental conversation, Louise refocused her attention of the two students that stood at attention.

"I see, thank you for bringing me this information, Miss Zerbst and Miss Tabitha," nodded Louise with a slight bow of gratitude, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Headmaster."

* * *

"Well, I feel better already!" Loudly exclaimed Kirche, as the woman walked off towards the tower and went out of earshot, "Seriously, keeping something like that bottled up wasn't good for me. You should try it sometime Tabitha," grinned the Zerbst woman, but her cheer was replaced with worry as she noticed that her friend was still boring holes in the back of the stranger's back with her eyes.

"Hm? What's up Taby?" she asked, and followed the jerk of her friend's head to see all the familiars giving the woman a wide berth, trying to fuse with the walls in the hopes of escaping some kind of invisible threat. Kirche's familiar, Flame, a fire salamander, quickly crawled over to her, croaking in what appeared to be relief as it nuzzled her leg.

"Hey Flame!? What's wrong?"

She had to scratch the giant lizard's head for a while before it managed to calm down, and even then Flame seemed dead set on not being even a foot apart from his mistress despite her reassurances and calming words.

The blue-scaled dragon, Tabitha's familiar, paced over to where they stood and let out soft chirps as it communicated with the blue-haired mage, who also patted her familiar's head, albeit without uttering words of comfort, since that would be out of character for her. The two communicated solely with soft whispers and chirps as they talked back and forth for a few seconds, and Tabitha's face changed to one of shock for the barest of moments, before her impressive self-control allowed her to set it into the blank mask she was used to once more.

"Tabitha?" asked the Germanian, noticing the brief moment of shock from her friend.

"Sylphid says there's something unnatural about her," explained the blue-haired girl, eyes narrowed in contemplation, "makes familiars scared."

"Something unnatural?" blinked the busty red-head, earning herself a simple shrug in answer, since Tabitha clearly didn't know more than what she had already explained.

"Maybe animals just don't like her?" Kirche teased, but was met with an empty stare from the petite mage who seem to doubt her rather simple explanation.

"Well this means we have to figure this mystery out ourselves! Come on Tabitha! After her!" grinned the enthusiastic Germanian, grabbing her friend's hand and dragging her in pursuit of the Vallière woman, who was most likely already conversing with the Headmaster.

Running down the courtyard, into the stone building, up the flight of stairs, and past a servant who was dusting portraits of former headmasters, the two young mages finally reached the heavy wooden door that led into the Headmaster's office.

Taking a look around to see if anyone was watching, Kirche leaned forward and placed her ear on the door, listening on the conversations to see if she could pick up some juicy details. Unfortunately for her, the muffled voices of several people could be heard but hardly anything could be understood behind the thick door.

"Darn it, can't hear anything. Taby, you know any spells that would work here?" she pouted, only to receive a negative shake of the head from her friend, who instead raised up a glass cup, putting it on the door and using it to listen.

"Nice one!" grinned Kirche as she took one of the cups and placed it on the door, her ear on it. Her companion stood there as she continued to read the book she had planned to read before she was roped into this.

"I assure you, Siesta committed no fault…" a voice, that she recognized as the mystery woman's, insisted, and Kirche leaned further as she tried to catch more of the conversation.

"However, young Miss Vallière has certainly not returned and this precious coin we have confiscated from the servant in question suggests bribery," pointed out another voice, one that she recognized as the Headmaster's.

"No, that is not entirely true," Stated the feminine voice, and the snooping young woman eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the vague statement. What did she mean by not entirely true? Louise hasn't returned, or had she?

"Hm? What do you mean by that?" intervened another voice, this time belonging to Professor Colbert.

"I suppose a formal introduction may provide the answer you are looking for, but first…" The woman's voice spoke, followed by the sounds of footsteps as they paced through the room and towards… the door.

"Oh!" Yelped a surprised Kirche as the door swung open and fell forward due to her precarious position, but thankfully put out her arms to catch herself from making a Kirche-shaped impression in the floor.

"Hehe… Hi!" Nervously chuckled the Germanian as she tried to think of an excuse for eavesdropping.

A deadpan stare came from the pink-haired woman like she had completely expected this course of action, but was disappointed to see it actually came to pass. Like a mother who had caught their daughter eating dessert before dinner.

"Miss Zerbst!" scowled Miss Longueville, looking outraged, "Eavesdropping in a meeting with the Headmaster is grounds for punishment-"

She could likely have continued her rant, was it not for a raised hand from the pink-haired woman.

"Let bygones be bygones, besides I'm sure her…-" the woman paused as she looked for the right word to describe the situation, "curiosity, wouldn't allow otherwise."

"Fine, fine," grumbled the Headmaster with a wave of his hand, and his secretary, who appeared not too pleased at his decision, withdrew her protests. "As you were saying before we were interrupted?"

"Ah yes… My introduction." The mysterious woman placed a hand on her hip and took a deep breath before she continued.

"My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Vallière."

For a moment there was only silence, those present staring at the pink-haired woman with blank faces, before said silence was broken by Kirche.

"P-Pfffffhahahaha!" laughed the Germanian, bending over in laughter.

"Oh! This is rich, Louise the Zero failed her summoning, so she hired some stranger, who doesn't even look like her, to stand in!" Wheezed the busty-young woman in between her laughs, wiping a tear from her eye.

Louise's eye twitched, the young woman trying to calm herself before she snapped at the disrespectful girl, who was now, in her eyes, little more than a boisterous child. Even if they were the same age before, after everything she had lived through, she couldn't see the carefree students of the Academy as anything but ignorant children. And as much as she wanted to hit Kirche for not believing her, children were not to be hit, but educated.

A terrified Siesta stood off in the corner-her presence was required because of her report to the headmaster-almost appalled at the sight of these nobles doubting Louise's words, and had been largely ignored despite being the subject of questioning not just moments ago. While she could understand their disbelief, given that in normal circumstances, girls didn't disappear one day to reappear the next, looking like a young adult.

"Can you at least show some proof that you are indeed Miss Vallière?" intervened Colbert, raising his voice to be heard over his student's wheezes, though his tone clearly showed he doubted Louise's claim as well. Even he was familiar with the youngest Vallière and his many years of proctoring the ritual himself, for all he knew her failure with the ritual caused this sudden change. He had seen many strange thing during his existence, and for all he knew this was just another one. Still, until he was shown proof, he would keep doubting this woman, for, unfortunately, Kirche's explanation made far more sense.

"Hm," hummed Louise, crossing her legs as she tried to think of something she could use to prove her identity.

"You could ask me something that only I would know," she suggested, shrugging.

"I lent a book to Miss Vallière regarding the summoning ritual, what was it?"

Closing her eyes in search of the related memories, Louise prodded her impressive memory for the answer. After all, remembering a book she had borrowed several years in the past was not exactly something one could do at the drop of hat, especially given that until recently, her mind was busy with other things.

"Trick question actually, you lent me _two_ books: The Spring Time Ritual, by the Holy Church; and Basic Conjuring, by Rajnr Septim," she finally said, her eyes boring into her former teacher's, as if daring him to contradict her.

In that moment, when their eyes met, Louise truly realized just how weary her old professor was, the stress lines around his eyes and cheeks that betrayed an age older than he truly was. While she had no intention of prying, she now understood Colbert had been through a great deal more than what most would believe. Truthfully, in her previous life, for it was how it seemed to her now, she would never have noticed those subtle signs that spoke of someone with great combat experience, even with lessons on being observant all but drilled into her by her mother. However, the many life or death struggles he lived through forced her to be more attentive to people, as well as of her surroundings. The seemingly harmless person could be an assassin in disguise, and the innocent-looking road could hide a trap.

But back to the subject of her memories, many of Louise's old memories were rather fresh in her minds due to being in a locked state for most of her stay in the other world. The first few days after regaining her memories had been immensely disorienting for the pink-haired woman, as she dealt with the merging of her old and new personas, her new personality clashing violently with her previous one, her mind looking over her previous life and finding countless things that bothered her. Her health had taken a turn for the worse and, for a while, she could have been considered mentally unstable, given how easily she would snap at people for the slightest reason. But she was not alone in her mental ordeal, there was one individual, other than her partner (who was useless for delicate matters, not to mention that it was the cause of her memory loss to begin with), who had stayed with her in her vulnerable state, alongside the caretakers of the Kamasylve Temple, and eased her pain.

"That is correct," declared Professor Colbert, but the doubting stares coming from the others implied that it wasn't enough to prove her identity. She could have easily been told that information, or garnered it herself from a simple investigation.

"Ho, perhaps a show of magic?" Posed the old headmaster, "It would for sure verify that she is not a commoner in disguise."

"Geh!" choked the red-haired girl at the thought of Louise the Zero's explosive failures at any form of magic, even if this woman wasn't Louise she didn't want to even risk have an explosion go off in such close quarters like the headmaster's office. Her last attempt destroyed a classroom and sent Mrs. Chevreuse, who had been appointed as a new professor, to the medical wing.

"Seems easy enough. However, I will need a replacement wand," declared the supposed-Louise with an impassive look on her face, as if she didn't know what her attempts at magic wrought.

"Ah, we recovered Miss Vallière's wand," nodded the green-haired secretary, pacing over to her desk's drawer and pulling out Louise's old wand, exactly the way she had left it, before handing it over to the young woman.

Feeling the wooden focus in her hands, she ran her fingers along the wand and was half-tempted to snap the damn thing for all the hardships it had given her in her childhood. However, it would probably be a rather shocking experience for those present, since breaking one's own wand was tantamount to renouncing their status as nobility, so she held off her inner desire. Not to mention, she had a far better replacement that hung from her hip in the form of a blade.

"Oi!" Protested the Ardent in horror, "You're going to let her cast magic in here?"

"I can manage," deadpanned Louise.

"Not to doubt this woman's abilities, but Miss Zerbst has a point. If this is truly Miss Vallière and she casted magic in here, we would lose a lot of important documents," point out **t** he green-haired secretary, eyeing the large stack of papers, which had yet to be signed and filed, that sat on Osmond's desk. She resigned herself with a sigh of exasperation, knowing that she would have to be the one to actually do the work later on.

"Come then, let us go to the courtyard," muttered Osmond, letting out a groan as he stood, cursing his old age.

The entourage was led to an empty portion of courtyard by Miss Longueville, who had picked a few pebbles randomly from the ground before she handed them to Louise.

"Do you recall a basic transmutation spell?" Asked the secretary with a look of apprehension, probably due because of this woman who claimed to be Louise when she was naught but a sixteen-year-old girl the day before **.**

She nodded.

"Rel In Yan, correct?" asked Louis, receiving a nod of confirmationas she placed the small pebbles on the ground some distance away. Taking a glance back to her observers, she noticed they had backed away a considerable distance and rolled her eyes at the sight.

"You may begin!" Yelled the headmaster from what he likely thought was a safe distance away.

She brought her gaze back to the small rocks, placed her left hand on the hilt of her blade, closed her pink eyes, and took a deep breath. The brand of spells, like the one she was about to cast, were not something the average mage could do and the blade that hung from her left hip was, for those who had the knowledge of it, a clear indicator of her abilities, as the elemental blades, her sword being only one of select few, were required to harness and mold her willpower. The pink-haired woman recalled when many had protested when a mere "human" had been chosen to be the recipient of her Kamasylven blade as only elves had been the wielders historically, and was evident of the prideful nature elves had over species. Supposedly the blade itself was "alive" in a sense since the previous wielder had told her that the blade had specifically "chosen" her. That tidbit led to an in-depth and extremely lengthy conversation that delved deep into elven mythos, one that she had no desire to repeat.

However, her experiences weren't something she would ever share with anyone here, and thought that even her own mother would report her to the church if it were discovered that she had consorted with elves. Stupid religion **.** Although, Louise was a bit curious to see if the elves in Halkeginia were the same ones as the ones in Kamasylvia, at least the elves she's met were far more tolerant and were not the bogeymen-that-stole-children-at-night that the Founder's Church claimed them to be. Not that she ever wanted to meet them, they had a notoriety among mages for thousands of years, and suspected they would much rather kill her on sight than talk shop over tea.

The pink-haired woman reformed her thoughts on the initial spell, quietly muttering to herself.

"Guardian."

She silently casted her first spell to protect her from the explosion she knew was about to happen, and a warm embrace washed over her as the magic flowed from her blade and reinforced her body. It was a bit of tricky magic that required a fine control, but if successful, basically improved her physical capabilities to those of several men in their prime, not to mention the almost indiscernible layer of protection it provided, allowing her to shrug off blows that would have killed lesser men in an instant. Hence, the reason why she casted the spell beforehand. If this Brimir-brand spell failed like they always had the past, then taking into consideration her even greater powers, it would be even more spectacular failure than before and didn't want to harm herself.

However, unknown to Louise, Tabitha had indeed noticed the sudden change as she was eyeing the woman who stood in concentration, staring at her like a hawk. Her eyebrows raised in alert when she noticed the woman had muttered something and her presence had shifted somehow. It was a strange feeling, one that she couldn't describe properly, and itmade her even more weary of this mysterious woman claiming to be Louise.

Refocusing back on the task, Louise let go of the blade and raised her other hand, that held the wand, at her target that lay on the ground.

"Rel In Yan," Commanded the pink-haired woman with a shout, as the pebbles glowed blindingly with the overwhelming amount of willpower that poured into them. But instead of being transmuted into brass, she was met with an engulfing detonation that once-again kicked up a storm of dust and swallowed her onlookers who had thought they had been far enough. The sheer force of the explosion had kicked them off their feet onto their backsides.

While she may have casted a protective magic on herself to prevent damage to her person, it certainly didn't filter out the dust-filled air that rushed into her lungs, apparent by the heavy coughing that came from the pink-haired woman.

"Well," cough, "that's Louise the Zero for sure," coughed Kirche as she tried to expel the dust from her lungs.

"Yes, quite," grunted Osmond as stood once again on his feet, quietly muttering that he had lost yet another few years of his already aged life, "It seems this is indeed young Miss Vallière."

He raised his staff and summoned a gust of wind that blew away the cloud of dust, revealing Louise standing where she was before, looking as if nothing had happened to her, barring her coughs. It was always strange that Louise almost seemed to not take very much damage from her own spells despite always being next to them, her poor victims could certainly attest to that.

Strutting back over to her "proctors" with a prideful look on her face, "Well, I hope that was enough proof of my identity…" pausing for a moment as **a** smirk appeared on her face, "Unless you would like for me to go once more?"

"No, no," quickly interrupted the nervous headmaster, knowing his academy probably couldn't take any more of the now-proven Vallière's spells, and he had yet to send the letter to the Vallière household, so this benefitted both of them. He did not want to face the wrath of the young woman's mother, he had lived long enough to know that poking an angry dragon was a stupid thing to do, "It seems even after your change, you still are as…"

"Explosive?" Snorted the red-head, rolling her eyes.

"Determined as ever" He retorted, shooting a glance towards his young Germanian pupil, who withheld her further taunts.

"Still," Professor Colbert spoke out with a serious look on his face, "This begs the question of what exactly happened to Miss Vallière." The air fell silent, the group turning their eyes towards the pink-haired woman, waiting for an answer. What exactly could have caused a young girl to disappear overnight and return, a fully-grown woman, they all wondered.

"Ah," Sheepishly chuckled Louise, rubbing the back of her neck, "I don't remember?"

"Oh, don't give us that!" Protested Kirche, she wanted to hear something unusual, worthy of a tale, not something as dull as memory-loss!

"I'm telling the truth!" Cried the Vallière, "I lost my memories, and didn't get them back until a few months ago." This was a half-truth, she had indeed lost her memories when she had awakened in the bedroom of an Elion priestess all those years ago and had only recently regained them. The part she left out is that it was because to her partner, not that she was going to introduce them, that she had lost her memories. But she supposed if she had kept her memories when she had been taken she would have fared a lot worse in the other world, being the vulnerable child before. She highly doubted that someone as temperamental as her old self would have reacted half as well to some of the things she had lived through.

"Well," began the glasses-wearing Professor, "Sometimes when a mage is overwhelmed by their own magic it has been known to cause temporary memory loss, usually by apprentices too eager to try spells too advanced for them. But to cause the loss of an entire person's worth of experience, the power must have been astonishing."

"That's all good, but that doesn't explain how she "grew" up!" Retorted the well-endowed student, salaciously eyeing her matured classmate, perhaps she would have to reschedule her appointments.

"When I woke up, I found myself in small coastal town that certainly wasn't in Tristain. The kind folk took me in and I stayed there until my memories returned."

Once again, a lie, she didn't stay there until her memories returned, the Black Spirit would not have allowed it, but the townspeople where very kind and humble in her eyes. They also made the most exquisite of seafood dishes that almost made her salivate at the thought of them.

"Oh, that is most fortunate," nodded the aged man at the positive outlook of his student, "What is the name of this town?"

"Olvia," replied Louise, knowing that it would give headaches to the old man if he ever tried to find the town on a map. He deserved it in her opinion. Not stepping in while she had been obviously bullied was something she was still quite sore about, so nobody would begrudge her at least some payback.

"Olvia, hmm" pondered Osmond, "I've heard of a village called Olvia in Romalia that I had visited in my travels as a youth, but it is a mountainous village, not a coastal one. What country did it belong to?" he asked, curious.

"Ah..." The Vallière's face fell downtrodden, a slight grimace on her face, "I honestly cannot recall, not because of poor recollection, it's just that my memories are still, how to put it, being sorted. Confusion from remembering who I was at all once put me in a rather… difficult position."

"Let us not cause any undue stress then," assured Colbert **,** he had seen the symptoms of memory loss and recollection in others before and knew how difficult it could be, "It will all come in time. However, can you tell us how you returned?"

"I did recall how to do the summoning ritual quite clearly, so I performed it once more, thinking that since it had taken me before, perhaps it would return me the next. And well, here I am."

A complete lie, she never attempted the ritual again, for the being that it had summoned the first time around was simply too dangerous to attempt another.

However, it appeared both Miss Longueville and Tabitha were experienced in how others lied, and they certainly noticed. Although, neither said a word.

One, Tabitha was already very suspicious of the woman who claimed, and seemed to have convinced the others, to be Louise but didn't want to cause a scene. For all she knew, this woman had taken advantage of her classmate's disappearance, perhaps had even been responsible, and was a spy from Gallia to be rid of her or someone at the academy. But she didn't want to doubt her best friend who claimed it wasa black hand, demon, or whatever it was, that took the pink-haired girl, However, the situational evidence was too much to ignore, so she would stay quiet for now, keeping a watchful eye.

Second, Miss Longueville was a thief, she didn't care. Her only reason for even being at the academy and suffering through the almost daily sexual harassment from the headmaster was to rob the academy from under their noses, her reputation as Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt demanded no less and shewould probably applaud this woman for convincing these foolish nobles of her supposed-identity. Not to mention Reconquista had ordered (forced) her to steal the staff of destruction from the academy for their glorious "uprising" (She scoffed at the idea). The only reason she even agreed to the task is because they held the person most precious to her hostage, even if they had parted ways with their relationship strained.

"Perhaps we can investigate this matter at another time," suggested the balding Professor.

"Yes, I agree. For now, Miss Valliere, please rest and do not worry about your class. I have no doubt you are still the dedicated student I've heard so much about from my colleagues. Not to mention little classes will be held due to the time dedicated to bonding with their familiars," assured the aged Headmaster, but paused for a moment, realizing that they did not know if she had bonded with a familiar.

"There is one more matter that must ascertain, Miss Vallière," he added, "were you able to form a bond with a familiar?"

They all fell silent, especially Kirche who still clearly remembered the exorbitant boasts Louise had made the day before the ritual, stating that she would summon a wise, beautiful, and majestic being far superior than her peers'.

"Yes actually, I did." The pink-haired woman cheerfully stated, knowing she wasn't "Louise the Zero" anymore, in a sense. However, she couldn't introduce them to Zero, that would lead to panic and disorder, and probably being branded as a heretic at her demon-looking partner. But, she did have a way around this.

"What!?" Exclaimed Kirche, surprised at the news that her rival, who failed in all magic, had successfully summoned a familiar. However, she still remembered that black hand that had abducted Louise during the ritual, if she and contracted something like that… Familiars were supposed to be representations of their personalities and traits, that's why she had a great bond with Flame that matched her personality. So, she was apprehensive about seeing this familiar that the pink-eyed woman supposedly bonded with.

"Here she is!" Smiled the woman, resting her left hand on the hilt of her blade, as a blue orb of light popped out from underneath her collar. Flying in circles around the Vallière's head, and landed on her outstretched right hand, as if it were dancing in the palm of her hand.

The Germanian let out a sigh of relief at the relatively harmless looking sprite of blue light that twirled in the palm of her rival's hand. She had been expecting something far more, showy.

"Ah, a sprite!" Cheered Professor Colbert with a smile on his face. His student wasn't quite the failure everyone thought her to be and knowledge of that made him even more proud of his student.

"Oh? It's been a while since I've seen a sprite as a familiar, and such a rare color too! They usually are red or green," observed Osmond as he stroked his beard, with pride at his student's success. Sprites were timid, woodland creatures that tended to follow travelers who ventured too deep into the untamed forest, so summoning one as a familiar was quite a rare occurrence.

"May I examine your familiar?" Asked the Professor since he had not personally met a sprite before. He took a few steps forward, but a frown formed on his face since the sprite immediately jumped back underneath the woman's collar in fright, and disappeared.

"My apologies, Professor. She is extremely shy of others, and won't let anyone touch her. Perhaps another time," apologized Louise, giving a weak smile in return.

"No worries, Miss Vallière," reassured the Colbert with a sheepish chuckle, "Go rest for now and bond with your familiar like the rest of the students."

"Yes, yes. Our business here is concluded, we shall work out the details of your continued education at a later time. Now where is that servant girl?" Asked Osmond with a sigh, knowing what his last order of business was.

"I believe she is still in your office," Stated the secretary, pushing up her glasses, recalling the terrified girl who probably was still frozen from sheer nervousness.

"Hm? What do you need with Siesta?" Louise asked the secretary, with confusion written on her face.

"Oh, for her termination of course."

* * *

And so, Louise currently sat on a bench next to a silent maid whose life to have seem have taken a turn for the worse. Because of Louise had given the coin to Siesta, she had broken a clause in her contract that stated she was not allowed to take any sort of monetary gifts, this was included in all the contracts the servants had at the Tristain Academy of Magic. The Academy hosted a number of students from various kingdoms in Halkeginia, and the clause was included to prevent servants being bribed to prevent any sort of foreign espionage on the servants who may be swayed with lavish gifts to perform unscrupulous acts. The problem of the slippery slope so to speak, one gift may be harmless, the following may be accompanied by requests, each in increasing severity.

Honestly, Louise had completely forgotten about it since the worker contracts she was used to was more of a here-is-the-goods-go-get-it arrangement, and Siesta herself had long forgotten most of the terms of her employment contract since she had signed it due to the difficult terminology used in the writing that went over her head.

Siesta had begged to keep her job, but the Headmaster's hand was forced since he bore witness and held the very evidence in his wrinkled hands, much to his exasperation. He really didn't want to lose such a dedicated servant, especially one with a buxom figure like hers, but it would be a huge blow to his reputation if any were to learn of a possible breach of contract. And It was one less cute maid he could use to send his trusted familiar to explore the mysterious world that hid underneath a maiden's skirt. Truly, he held much regret, and would definitely lose sleep over this action.

Louise herself had also pled on behalf on the shocked maid, as she tried to use the loophole that since Siesta had been assigned as her personal attendant she could give her gifts, but fell short when Siesta previously revealed that she had been given the gift before her assignment, and not after. Disgruntled nobles could claim that the Royal Family were using the Vallières to commit espionage.

And so, there sat the two individuals. One, a woman who had left home for many years, went through countless ordeals, traveled the world, slayed monsters beyond human nightmares and two, a young maid; who wanted nothing more than to support her family and lost her job due to a small blunder.

"Oh Founder Brimir, what am I going to tell my family?" A despairing Siesta cried as she wiped the tears that ran down her cheeks, her eyes puffy from crying. The reality of what just occurred had finally caught up with the black-haired maid as she sat there.

"Hey, don't worry, it's all right," consoled Louise, gently rubbing the younger girl's shoulder in a show of support. The sobs were slowly reduced to sniffles as the young maid calmed herself in the arms of Louise.

"You alright?" Whispered the concerned woman as Siesta gave a small mumble as she nodded her head. A tint of red colored the young maid's cheeks as she realized she was being held in a close embrace, and the soft, fragrant scent that came off the woman made her even more conscious of her position.

"Siesta, do you recall what I spoke of earlier in my quarters?" asked Louise as she faced the black-haired girl, who again nodded in response.

"I will not allow a blunder on my behalf ruin the livelihood of another. Thus, I am offering you the position of being my official attendant, not just at the academy but even long after I leave here," stated the young woman, a determined glint in her eyes.

Siesta's eyes grew to the size of saucers as her jaw fell in disbelief, "But I'm just a lowly servant, I'm not deserving of such a position."

"Siesta, have more confidence in yourself, you've shown me skill and dedication to your tasks, and it would be shame if those talents were not put to use," assured the mage.

"May I ask a small favor of you if I accept?" meekly asked blue-eyed maid, clearly unused to ask for favors from a noble.

"Anything," She replied.

"The chef in the kitchens will probably be overwhelmed without my help, may I help him while we are at the academy?"

"Of course, Siesta. As long as you are available when I need you I see no issue with it."

"Then, I'll happily take your offer!" smiled the maid, her earlier sadness gone and replaced with happiness.

"Come Siesta, let us fill out those contracts and register you as my personal attendant," said Louise as she stood, motioning to the dark-haired servant to follow her.

"Yes, Miss Val… Louise!" Beamed the young maid as she merrily skipped alongside her master.

.

 _ **"Excellent Louise, you showed great expertise in her manipulation to our side."**_

 _'I didn't manipulate her, Zero'_ spat out Louise in an angry thought, _'I made an honest mistake and I'm not going to let someone else take the fall.'_

 _ **"Hehe, of course, it is as you say, Partner…"**_ Unsettlingly grinned the Black Spirit in the back of her mind.

.

Across the courtyard, a blonde-haired fop was slapped by two very angry embodiments of feminine wrath after the discovery of his two-timing, everyone around laughing at his expense, including Zero who burst into laughter at the sight of such a selfish human. A shame there was no one else to blame but himself.

* * *

|~~Flashback~~|

Off to the side of the training grounds that held many young recruits for the Olvian militia who were currently recuperating their losses, sat a young pink-haired girl, a rather distant look on her face as she stared off into space. A battered sword, crisp with dried blood, sat at her side, but it was not human blood that tainted her blade.

A few days ago, the imp savages that resided near the center of Balenos territory had begun an aggressive expansion campaign for seemingly no reason, the campaign culminating in a deadly battle that had only ended a few hours earlier. The scouts that were sent to investigate the cause of the sudden disturbance had not returned, however, whispers that Calpheon was involved were a common occurrence due to their past differences.

The town had been cut off from their main forces, who resided south, in the Western Guard Camp, and a sizable force of imps that taken control of the road between the town and the camp. Thankfully, the village had a western road secured by the mountainous terrain and a sea route to the north where trade from the islands, Altinova, and Calpheon came through.

Louise had been called upon in a forced inscription of sorts that successfully repelled the attacking force, but took rather heavy casualties due to the missing presence of Commander Cliff, a high-ranking officer in the Balenos militia, who was currently stationed at the Western Guard Camp due to his ever-vigilant gaze on their neighbor nation to the southwest, Calpheon.

 _ **"Hehe, we showed those damned imps who is stronger,"**_ snickered her invisible companion, who had been by her side ever since she woke up without her memories, _**"I can only imagine the reward they'll give us after this is over."**_

'….'

No word came from the pink-haired girl, who seemed lost as she stared at the gravel beneath her boots. The first time she had taken a sentient creature's life was fresh in her mind: the intense aggression, confusion, snarling, the blank look in their inhuman eyes as her blade ran through their body. The repulsive smell of blood that just wouldn't leave her. She reached over to grab the sword that lay at her side, but immediately dropped it due to the violent trembling of her hands, her actions finally catching up with her mind. Without her memories, she had nothing, no instincts, nothing to curtain the violent memories that replayed again and again in her mind. She felt sick, knowing that she had killed beings that could easily have been her. Killing animals for food was one thing, killing a sentient being was another.

She was not the only one in a state like this, many other young recruits were going through the same ordeal as her. But she was not fated to sit on the sidelines, for she had performed many feats of valor during the battle and had impressed many of the veterans with how well she used a sword. Louise, however, knew better, as the strange markings that were branded on her left hand were the true reason that she had been so skilled with her weapon. She had barely been aware of what she had been doing, cutting off imp after imp with clinical precision, her mind clouded in a haze and focused only on survival, only clearing after the battle ended, leaving her surrounded with the corpses of her enemies, her sword in hand. Her partner claimed ignorance at Louise's sudden proficiency with a blade but its guidance so far had been sound, so she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

It was not the first time such a thing had occurred while under the strange tutelage of the Black Spirit, they had been practicing with knives and bows to hunt the deer and foxes that lived in the mountains as a means of earning a form of income, or at least Zero (a name she had given to her partner as it was the first thing that came to her mind) had claimed. Her markings glowed brightly whenever she held the wooden bow and hunting knife and allowed her to surprise the villagers when she had returned on the first day of the hunt dragging a deer behind her. But it had never possessed her to the point of leaving her as simple spectator in her body, and the thought of losing herself terrified her.

"Ughaa," an old man groaned as he plopped himself next to the solemn girl, startling her out of her morose thoughts.

"It pains me to see all this bloodshed, thought I've seen enuff for a lifetime when I settled down," groaned the man, but Louise kept her gaze on the ground.

"A shame a pretty young girl such as yerself got caught up with all this commotion. Yer, Louise? Right? The girl we found on Wale's farm without her memories?" he asked, though given his tone it was more for her sake than his.

Louise slowly nodded, though she never once uttered a word.

"Even more a shame, fighting savages when you should be recovering. Here," stated the old man as he brought out a flask and took a drink from it before he handed it to Louise. "Take a drink, it takes the edge off."

Staring at the flask in her hands for a moment, she titled her head back and took a large sip of the drink, but immediately regretted it as the liquid burned as it traveled down her throat and had her coughing it up with a grimace, the liquid splattering on the floor as she heaved.

"God!" exclaimed the girl in disgust. "What vile drink is this?"

"Haha" The old man burst into laughter at her reaction to the drink, who would have guessed the Hero of Olvia, who singlehandedly turned the tide of the battle, couldn't handle alcohol.

"Louise!" called a voice she recognized as the garrison's officer, and the person in charge of the troops.

"We got new orders," stated the officer, "Yer going to lead a scouting group alongside some extra persons to link up with the Western Guard Camp and inform Commander Cliff of the situation.

"Sir," began Louise, looking uncertain, "Are you sure that I should lead this group, I'm… currently not in the best state of mind," she stated, biting her lower lip.

"I can see that, but I can't go myself and my first choice was killed in the initial clash. Goddamned imps, took him down with a stray arrow," he growled, spitting to the side in disgust.

"Yer however, performed well in battle and I have no doubt ya can handle yerself despite yer appearance. Gear up, the others are waiting by the stables."

She nodded, standing and stretching a bit, wincing at the way her sore muscles reminded themselves to her. The young girl peered back at the old man who sat next to her with a look of gratitude for keeping her company. He smiled in return and shooed her on way, but a strained smile made its way on his face at the thought of a young girl being forced into battle once more. If only he were younger and could be on the frontlines himself.

Louise eventually made her way to the stables, though not before grabbing a replacement sword and a thick leather glove to hide her markings. She found several individuals that waited for her arrival, a few of the Vigilantes (the name of the militia) who greeted her with a salute of respect from being a witness of her abilities, and two strangers who were not wearing the Vigilante's uniform, a man and a woman who were animatedly whispering back and forth between each other. The male was a human, who wore rather loose-fitting clothes and various trinkets that made him look like a journeyman, and the female an elf, with brown hair was tied up in a bun that revealed her pointed ears and who wore a white tunic. The pair, who were arguing back and forth, stopped as soon as they noticed Louise coming, which was rather easy given her unique pink-colored hair.

The young man stepped forward with an outstretched hand and smile in greeting.

"Hello there, my name is Edan."

Louise took the hand in kind and shook it, introducing herself in the process.

"Louise."

"So, it seems my partner and I are going to be accompanying your scout group," remarked Edan.

"May I ask why civilians are joining us?" Asked Louise, a bit curious. Vigilantes were trained and could handle themselves, but civilians were a whole other kettle of fish, or so she had heard.

"Oh right, suppose it would only be fair. We were part of Princess Jarette' excavation, well more like we were just hired for the excavation at the ancient ruins in the forest southeast of the Western Guard Camp, and had to stay in town for some business. Then the imps decided to attack, and well… here we are, but I assure you we are skilled enough to defend ourselves."

So that was the reason, the Princess of Heidel was at the Western Guard camp, perhaps these two were part of the Princess's entourage and got left behind due to the imp attacks, the excuse of just being excavators wasn't a good enough reason to risk one's life to get to work.

"Alright," nodded Louise, who at the moment just wanted to get things over, so that she may enjoy the comfort of a good bed and a nice night of sleep.

"Okay everyone, let us depart!" Yelled Louise to her comrades, and got a reply in kind. The group started their trek towards the camp, marching down the dirt road, with Louise at the head, while the Edan and his elf companion stayed a bit further behind.

"Edan…", started the Elf, her voice low and her face serious.

"What's up Orwen?" replied the human, as he followed the group of soldiers.

"That girl… What do you think of her?"

"Hm? I suppose she'll be quite the beauty in a few years, a bit young for my tastes though," he remarked seriously, before his face was split by a grin at the end.

"Edan…" deadpanned the brunette, lightly slapping her companions shoulder.

Chuckling to himself, he relented.

"Hm, perhaps she's a noble from Calpheon who got roped into this mess? Pink hair isn't exactly common, and I imagine it would take some expensive hair dyes to keep it as vibrant has her. I also snooped around the soldiers and they were calling her the Hero of Olvia due to her acts at the battle, heard she cut through dozens of imps."

"Hmm…" silently hummed Orwen, her eyes watching the back of the little pink-haired girl. She looked so frail, like a beautiful stained glass that would break at the slightest touch.

Noticing his partner's silence, Edan gently nudged her.

"Why all the questions?"

"I don't know if it was just me, but I thought I felt small traces of dark energy coming from her."

"What!?" he hissed, glancing at the soldiers to make sure nobody had heard him before looking back at his partner, all playfulness gone from his face.

"She's possessed?"

"I don't know…" whispered Orwen, "I don't think she is, all the cases we've seen of Black Spirit possession resulted in the victim losing their minds to insanity."

"She looks fine," he remarked, but Edan didn't doubt his companion, she had a special ability to detect dark energy and those that used it. If she said she felt it, then there could be no doubt of its presence, that was the reason he recruited her for this excavation.

"I know… that's why I'm confused," she admitted. It seemed that she did not know what to think of the girl. She had never been wrong about what she sensed before, but the pink-haired girl had yet to display even the slightest sign of insanity. If anything, she looked tired and lost, like any child thrown into a life or death battle without any preparation.

"Well, I suppose we'll discover the reason soon enough. If she is possessed, there can be no doubt she will head towards the excavation after reporting to Cliff. That place is teeming with dark energy," remarked Edan, who looked rather displeased at the possibility.

"Edan, if she is possessed we have to report this to Secret Guard, we can't let someone like her walk around freely. Black Spirits _always_ bring ruin to those around them."

"Of course," he quickly replied, a grim look on his face as he stared at the lone moon now hanging in the sky.

"I only hope that it is not the case."

|~~Flashback End~~|

* * *

 **Authors Notes:**

Yay! 2700+ Views, 110+ followers, and 70+ favorites. Didn't think so many people would enjoy something I wrote on a whim. I originally thought about making this a one-shot, but decided to make this an actual story.

I will admit that the middle part was rather weak, once I was nearing 10k words (way more than I had originally planned), I just wanted the chapter to be done and over with. I had originally skimmed over where Louise convinces them that she is indeed Louise, but my beta (thank the gods for Arawn D. Draven) convinced me otherwise to write it out.

For the Black Spirit and Louise communicating, when the Black Spirit speaks to Louise, she completely understands it due to the bond they have. However, whenever someone else hears it, i.e. outside of Louise's mind or just plain talking, it just seems like a garbled mess. Keep that in mind for the future.

I can imagine the horror Cattleya will have once she learns that magical creatures don't like her sister.

Also, I have a few guests passes that an individual could use to play **_Black Desert Online_**. If anyone would like one please feel free to send me a pm. I'm never going to use them anyways. Be warned though, the game is large, 30+ GB's, and requires a good gaming PC.

Super amazing awesome much thanks to **Arawn D. Draven** for beta'ing this chapter! Check out his stories as thanks!

* * *

 **Answering Reviews:**

 **Ojj** & **MillionArthurTheYuriKing** : Sorry for the false update a while back. I deleted the PSA chapter since this one was nearly completed, but I didn't think it would count as an "update."

 **Eon (Guest):** I'm currently planning on Henrietta (but that's far in the future). As for the magic system, I'm currently going to be using the elemental blade "magic" lore that is the basis for the **awakened ranger** and **awakened dark knight** classes. One thing to note is that Louise is most like a Ranger (not as an archer that is commonly misunderstood, she doesn't use a bow. Think more of a ranger in LOTR with a bit of magickly stuff thrown in), and has a lore-basis that I will explore in the future. Although, BDO main quest line is rather poor (which is why I have to fluff it up as apparent by the flashbacks), the game is extremely lore-rich. As for the most powerful thing it can do? That's a tricky question to answer without spoiling things, a more appropriate question is what is the most powerful thing the Black Spirit can do.

 **Saraak** : I'll be careful in making paragraphs a more appropriate size, I thought they were good already.

 **NewUniverseReturns** : Currently planning on Louise and Henrietta (see response to Eon). As for another story? I'm already overwhelmed by the two I'm currently writing. I would, however, very much enjoy seeing someone take up that story idea.

 **Veesmaster** : Thanks for reading my story and for leaving a comment!

 **Blakithleo** : Glad you like my idea, I hope you will find the flashback scenes in this chapter and future ones very appealing!


	3. Ch 3: Daydreams

**Chapter 3: Daydreams**

* * *

"Talking normally," said Louise.

 _'Thinking to myself_ ,' thought Louise

 **"Check out my teeth!"** exclaimed the Black Spirit

* * *

 **~Flashback~**

The pink-haired girl paced up the hill, walking up the dirt path that winded through the massive trees, coming to a stop at the crest of the verdant mound, her eyes taking in the now visible ancient and rugged-looking entrance to the excavation site. A few soldiers guarded the entrance, wicked-looking halberds promising pain or even death to those who would try and steal the priceless artifacts regularly excavated from the ruins.

A goblin "worker", nay thief, had already been caught trying to steal artifacts. His beaten and bruised form now sat bound to a wooden pole near the entrance, with a wooden plank hung around his neck with letters sloppily painted on that spelled "THIEF". The other workers and sentries largely ignored his presence, as they went about their tasks and duties, occasionally throwing sneers and wads of spit as they passed by the goblin thief.

However, since the young girl wore a Vigilante uniform, the halberd-wielding guards paid little attention as she walked pass them and into the ancient ruins, as while they could stop suspicious people, they weren't paid nearly enough to bother checking everyone.

Now inside the ruins, the newcomer stared at the dynamics displayed by the workers, her mind trying to find the logic behind the way things were organized. Various workers swung their pickaxes at the collapsed hallways in an attempt to clear them, carting away the rubble and most of what was not deemed to be of much value, while scholars cataloged everything excavated and quietly debated amongst themselves as they attempted to decipher the ancient words inscribed in large stone slabs that lined the walls.

Foregoing the examination of the people for the moment, the pinkette looked around, choosing to focus more on the décor than the people. One of the first thing she noticed, was that the ceiling stood high above her, even a few heads above the giant workers that lifted large stone debris onto wheelbarrows with their natural, impressive strength, which was impressive considering the sheer size of a giant. The walls too, were worthy of being noticed, covered as they were in strange writing and vividly detailed, but faded scenes depicting what appeared to be an apocalyptic event happening to a coastal town.

 **"Yes… there is something here, calling us,"** whispered the faint voice in the back of her mind. It dominated her thoughts, guiding her footsteps and as she delved deeper into the ancient ruins. Her mind was clouded, foggy, and she was not even aware of her pace until she stumbled into something hard, smacking her forehead into it, the pain bringing clarity to her muddled thoughts.

She groaned loudly and held her forehead as the sharp pain slowly faded away. A few workers around threw her glances of puzzlement and snickers, the thought of such a young girl amongst grown men humor enough for them. Yet, no one approached to see if she was okay, going about their business like nothing had happened. While she was something of a curiosity, they were paid for their work, and none of them wanted to lose money by being seen "slacking off".

"Who the hell placed this thing in the middle of the hallway," she grumbled to herself, checking to make sure that she hadn't broken her nose or, Heaven forbids, that was bleeding. Thankfully, everything seemed to be intact and she took a step back, inspecting what she had walked into and her breath hitched in fright.

A stone form that outlined the shape of a man stood before her, its shockingly realistic features made to look like a man who had been turned to stone as he recoiled in fear. She released the breath she had been holding upon the realization that she had only stumbled upon a statue and not a person, but the uncanny resemblance to a living man suggested that this was not a work of craftsman, fear clearly expressed on the statue's face and hands held high, trying to defend itself from its absent foe. While an expert craftsman _might_ have managed to convey the same authenticity in a statue, something in the pit of her stomach told her that what she was looking at was not some simple piece of art, but something far more sinister.

Her gaze swept across the room, finding several more of these life-like statues spread about, but all facing the same direction, deeper into the ruins, strangely coinciding with where her partner's faint whispers beckoned her to continue.

 **"This way~"** The Black Spirit sang with joy, sensing the energy only it could feel, almost beckoning for them to be reunited.

And so, the young girl, with frayed nerves, took a deep breath and steeled herself before venturing further into the depths of the ruins, the number of statues increasing in number as she strolled down the stone hallways and rooms, but she eventually walked into a large open room, an auditorium of sorts, that happened to be suspiciously empty. There were no workers or scholars in this room, for the room had been stripped bare long ago. However, one doorway stood at the other end of the room, and the strange sight of greenery on the other side of the doorway clashed with the cold, tomb-like interior of the ruins.

Large leafy, green vines spread across the floor from the adjacent room. How could plants grow with such lust of available space when no sunlight or open soil had ever graced this deep, underground complex? Louise, practically appalled at the sight, continued forward until she heard the faint murmurs of voices, and quickly hid behind the wall instead of entering the chamber.

Wait… Why was she hiding? She had done nothing wrong. Her musings were cut short as the voices speaking became recognizable, where before they had been distorted by their echo on the walls of the ruins She recognized these voices, Edan and the elf that accompanied him, the two civilians that had accompanied her squad to the Western Guard Camp, it seems that they were excavators after all, perhaps experts of sorts? One did not need to have military training to be knowledgeable about history, and frankly, it would explain why they were so interested in coming to the ruins, far from most civilization.

The young girl peered into the room and found it filled to the brim with plant life, scrambling to cover any and all available space, but leaving stone slabs with golden writing, almost glowing, auspiciously clear, as they formed a circular outline in the round chamber, also steering clear of a strange monument of sorts that resembled a large black cube, sat in the center on a stone pedestal, white hieroglyphics running along its outer surface, and radiating a peculiar feeling.

 **"Yes~ That is the source we are looking for~ CLAIM IT~"** demanded Zero, eagerness clear in its voice, making her wince. No matter that none other than her could hear it, having a spirit yelling in what was essentially your head was headache-inducing.

A deep rumble echoed through the chamber just as Louise took a step in the room, and a wave of energy struck those present, toppling their sense of balance as they wobbled, trying to get their bearings back after almost falling down head over heels. The origin of the wave of energy became clear when the black cube leapt into the air, floating several inches off the stone pedestal and rotating slowly in a clock-wise motion.

"Edan! Look at this!" Exclaimed the elf, in awe of the artifact's behavior, it was unheard of to see such a massive piece of stonework enchanted, given the magic requirements. The question now, was what had it been enchanted to do? What was its purpose?

"Hm? Is something wrong with the artifact?"

"I don't know, it just started spinning in circles!"

"Could it be reacting some presence of some sort?" mused, his eyes turning cold. The woman, about to speak, cocked her head, her gaze swirling about the room in search of something.

"I… I can feel another source of Dark Energy… It's not coming from the artifact… It's coming from…!" Her eyes fell upon the sight of a young, pink-haired girl, seemingly unaware of her actions, her eyes glazed over as she slowly walked into the room.

"What? Louise!? What are you doing here?"

The panic-stricken woman rushed to the girl's side and placed a delicate hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. Realizing her words were not reaching the girl, she worriedly asked:

"Louise? Are you alright?"

"Hey, tell us anything you can remember about the Black Energy," interrupted Edan, earning himself a sharp glance from his partner.

 **"Stay away from them!"** urged Zero's voice, the spirit growling at the man.

"Do not listen to the hallucinations, you must rid yourself of them," ordered the journeyman, stepping over to Louise, his large frame towering over the much smaller girl.

 **"They will ruin us!"**

The Spirit's words got a reaction in the young girl as panic and fear shot through her mind, making her back up until she hit the stone wall behind her, and fell to her rump.

"Edan, stop! She's scared and unstable," pleaded the elven woman, putting herself between the two, arms outstretched in defense of the younger female.

 **"Listen to what I have to say! Your life is at risk without me!"**

Before the pair could argue more, the artifact burst into pieces, said pieces orbiting a dark, misty center, that seemed to suck what little light was present in the chamber and snuff it out, the invisible force behind the phenomenon once more tripping the trio.

 **"Yes! This power!"** cackled Zero, the spirit separating from Louise and diving into the dark mist, seemingly absorbing it.

"Ah! Are you okay Edan?" asked a concerned Orwen as she shakily got back to her feet, her eyes never leaving the artifact.

"We were one step too late!" growled her partner, glaring at the smaller form of the pink-haired teen, who was too busy staring at what was happening to pay him any mind.

Indeed, the energy of the artifact's "core" seemed to have been completely depleted, absorbed by the Black Spirit, who burst from the center of the artifact as it collapsed to the ground in pieces, its energy no longer sustained its motion. Its form had changed, as it no longer looked like a small hazy blob of darkness, becoming more solid in its appearance, with shiny white teeth appearing on its face.

 **"Hee-hee. This power is now mine!"** cackled the spirit, sending ripples of dark energy everywhere in the room, the previously lush plant life withering into dust as soon as the energy touched it.

While the two adults were busy screaming, Louise was struck by images suddenly popping up in her mind, images that for some reason, spoke to her on a deep, personal level.

An image of a young, magenta-haired girl skipping across stones of a pond in a fancy garden, giggling and beckoning to follow as she frolicked merrily across the steps, trying not to get her dress wet. Another pink haired girl giggled as she traipsed after her friend.

A flash flickered across her mind. A motherly, pink-haired beauty softly embracing her as she gently stroked her hair, singing a soft, soothing lullaby. The same young girl laid in her lap as sleep overtook her pink, misty eyes.

A picture of sitting in a boat, sobbing as tears fell from her cheeks. A man with long, gray hair discovering and comforting over her failures, yet again.

"Haa… haa…" wheezed Louise, heaving and feeling sick. She _knew_ something was wrong, that the images were things precious to her, things that she had forgotten, but every time she tried to focus on them they were blurry and a fresh wave of nausea hit her, while her head would feel like it was about to split open.

"Help me…." She croaked, her voice hoarse, hoping that someone, _anyone_ , would help her. That a kind soul would give her a helping hand, but alas, that was not to be. There was no kind soul there for her, only a Black Spirit apparently very smug about her suffering.

 **"Ho? Trying to regain your memories? Tsk tsk, it's much too early for the deal to be fulfilled,"** smugly mocked the Black Spirit, sounding disturbingly like an admonishing parent who caught their child red-handed in the middle of stealing cookies.

While Louise was locked in her mind, Edan approached the fallen girl and gazed upon her folded form as she quietly wept, asking for help over and over again.

"It seems the Black Energy has destroyed her memory. We should report this to the Guard."

"Edan!" sharply chastised the elven woman, her concern for the young girl winning over any sense of obligation to his order, "This isn't the time! She needs…"

"AAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" shrieked Louise, her world exploding in pain, just before a fist impacted her face, granting her the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

"Ugh! So that's everything we have, I think…" Groaned an exasperated Louise, leaning back onto a chair. She was currently inspecting her belongings, currently laid down on several desks, in a classroom she had commandeered for that exact purpose earlier that day. If there was one thing her time with Zero had ingrained into her, it was that knowing exactly what you had with you was extremely useful in a crisis, much more so than opening your bag to reach for something that wasn't there.

 **"That is indeed everything that I held, barring any on your immediate person,"** stated the black phantom as it ominously hovered above the collection of items, an assortment of weapons, stacked bars of pure gold, raw materials, victuals of all kinds, potions, precious items, bags of seeds, books that contained blueprints, and various other items.

"Still, I can't believe you made me carry all this junk with us. We could have brought things like more precious metals and jewels to sell instead."

"Well, my apologies your greatness," Sarcastically muttered the pink-haired woman, rolling her eyes at her partner as she idly twirled a flintlock pistol—unloaded—in her hand, "Not like we could have made multiple trips until we get things set up."

 **"And what of the sapling? I see no benefit in why we brought it, even if it were under the request of that elven chancellor,"** asked the black spirit as it circled about the plant in question, annoyance clear in its tone. It had been a bit disgruntled at the thought of carrying such a strange thing when they could have brought more useful items. Not to mention the specter's disdain for elves in general, so the act of fulfilling a favor for an elf rubbed it the wrong way.

"Oh that?" Louise spoke, resting her gaze on an unusual, pure-white sapling that shimmered with specks of soothing white light, fluttering from its eggshell-like leaves.

"You know why, Zero," softly replied the Mage, resting a hand on the hilt of her Kamasylven blade, the elven sword softly humming with a pink glow, the tempo of its gentle humming matching the shimmering lights coming from the sapling, "We owe a lot to Herawen."

 **"Hmph,"** grumbled the Black Spirit, leaving the side of the sapling and returning to Louise's side.

"Besides, that's not the only plant we brought back and I don't see you complaining about those."

 **"I can see the benefit of those, along with everything, even it is junk. Our strength alone would be enough to fulfill our goals,"** proudly growled Zero, daring her to contradict it.

She shrugged off her partner's statement, "While I hold no illusions to our personal capabilities, sometimes money and influence are more useful than steel and magic."

However, her face morphed into a more serious one, lips pursued.

"However, we have to be careful not to repeat the mistakes of Edana. We must be meticulous on what we introduce to Tristain, whether it be agriculture, industrial techniques, or even ideological ideas. The situation can turn unpleasant, very quickly, for us."

 **"Tsk,"** grunted the Spirit, its memory flicking back to their previous ordeals for a moment.

Louise said nothing in response, only frowning unhappily at her partner's response.

"Anyways, enough about that," Interrupted the mage, hoping to dash the somber mood away. They had better things to do than mope about the past, or events that occurred in another world. That was the past, the only thing they could do now that they had a whole new world before them, was to make good use of the lessons they had learnt from it.

"We're going to be traveling to the capital soon, so let us finish this quickly."

Huffing in response, the Black Spirit shifted items around as the two got to work.

* * *

"Um, Miss Vallière?" asked a rather confused Siesta.

"Call me Louise, Siesta, we've gone over this before. And what is it?" absentmindedly commented Louise, her eyes never leaving the wares she was browsing.

"Yes, Louise, but… why are we at a blacksmith?" softly asked the maid, her head tilting to the side in her puzzlement.

"Well that's rather simple, Siesta," nonchalantly replied the pink-haired woman, picking up the metal tool in her hands and running her finger along the edge, eliciting a slight wince from the young maid, "I'm purchasing a sword for you."

The remark was said offhandedly, Louise being too busy examining the blade in her hand to bother explaining her reasoning. Deciding to test the weapon she was holding, she swung the sword a few times. But she found the make unsatisfying and dropped the sword, the blade clanking loudly as it dropped on the pile of other metallic weapons.

"Oh, I see… I mean, eh!? I don't know how to use a sword!" squeaked a suddenly terrified Siesta. The maid, while she could defend herself quite well with her feet and nails, had never faced anything more terrifying than an inebriated Noble trying to make advances to her. She didn't like violence, and the idea of owning a weapon was one she was not comfortable with. Had it been a dagger, just in case someone tried being a bit too touchy she could have understood, but a sword?

"Obviously, commoners aren't allowed to carry weapons unless they're part of the military or have special permits for them," deadpanned the woman, dropping a silvery rapier after a mere test thrust.

"I've never even swung one before," whimpered the raven-haired maid.

"Don't worry Siesta, I'm not anticipating anyone trying to kill us," Reassured the older woman, trying to calm the young maid, but ultimately failing when the image of people trying to kill her came up, Siesta turning pale.

"However, if you're going to be my personal attendant, you'll need a blade as a symbol of your post. And I'm not going to give you something that's poorly made."

"I see…" Weakly mumbled Siesta, accepting her fate.

The duo had entered the shop since it had been the first one they came across as they walked along the streets of the capital. It had been a while since Siesta had been in the capital, the last time being to visit her cousin and uncle at the tavern they owned. A little tidbit of information Louise discovered as they talked about idle things on the carriage ride to the capital, mostly about humorous things that had happened to the raven-haired maid during her tenure at the academy and Siesta's family that the young maid talked about with such animated vigor and a happy smile on her face. So much so that Louise had not said so much as a word as she listened to the maid with a relaxed smile.

As for Louise, it had been so long that she didn't want to go off to memories that were years old. Luckily for her, she had experience in traversing large cities like Calpheon, so she had a rough idea of how the city was organized.

"Oh, this one looks good," grinned the pink-haired woman as she carried a double-edged broadsword and gave it a few swings before she put it down once again, Siesta squeaking at the metal monstrosity that Louise wielded like it weighed nothing.

"Hm, no the balance is off, too close to the hilt," she muttered quietly to herself, throwing an inspecting glance at her attendant, thinking of an appropriate blade. The person-in-question stood timidly in the corner of the shop, trying not to touch anything that looked expensive-which was everything in her eyes-.

The young maid didn't seem to be all that quick on her feet, so anything that required a good sense of balance and agility was out. Her master wasn't expecting mastery with the weapon, only a fair sense of how to use it, at least enough to not stab herself in the foot—or anywhere else for that matter-.

"Perhaps we should ring the attendant, Louise?" The blue-eyed maid suggested, looking at the golden bell that sat on the counter, thinking that a noble like Louise wouldn't be knowledgeable about swords. The thin, exquisite-looking blade that never left the Vallière's side suggested to the maid that her master only chose it because of its aesthetic beauty, and was perhaps more suited to be a wand than a sword. It looked more like a conductor's baton and a rapier combined, with pink-ornamented metal that spiraled around the hilt, like the petals of a flower, and came to a stop above the hilt. It looked like a blade used in ceremonial purposes, an extremely beautiful work of art, and even almost seem to glow slightly with a faint pink light, giving it the impression that it was alive.

"Good idea, I wanted to see if there was anything, but all these blades are of poor-make," grumbled Louise, walking over to the counter, and giving the bell a few rings.

"Yes?" A man's voice called out from the back of the shop, as the shop's owner came into view. His uneasy smile caused the black-haired maid to be weary of the lanky man with greasy black hair swept to the side, his gaze hungrily eyeing the pink-haired beauty up and down, especially her plentiful bosom.

"How may I serve?" His squeaky voice caused the young maid to involuntarily take a step back, mildly repulsed. It was these sorts of characters her parents had always taught her to avoid-since puberty had left her with a gifted body-with their warning of unsavory men who may try to lead her astray with honeyed words. But she couldn't leave since her master stood her ground, seemingly unfazed.

"I'm looking for a fitting blade to serve as a badge of office for my personal attendant," stated the older woman, throwing a quick glance back at the blue-eyed maid who offered an uneasy smile in return.

"Oh? May I ask what your budget is before I recommend something?" asked the man, smiling.

Neither of the women were fooled by the smile, though, as both could already tell that he was planning on getting as much money out of them as he could.

"Money is of no consequence, just show me your finest blades."

"Of course," Grinned the man, eagerly massaging his hands together, "I believe have the perfect match."

He walked into back area of the shop and returned a few seconds later with a prospective sword in his hands. An impressive, golden broadsword that shone almost as brightly as the sun, with fanciful and gleaming gemstones that were embedded in the hilt.

Siesta's jaw nearly dropped when her eyes laid upon the extremely expensive-looking sword. There was absolutely no way she could accept her master paying for such a costly item that she would probably never use! The amount would probably be enough to feed her entire family for the rest of their lives and then some! It would be better just to pick some random sword from the racks that lined the walls.

"Here is a sword crafted by a famous Germanian alchemist from the most exquisite of gems and solid gold. Guaranteed to strike down even the fiercest of beasts and pierce any armor!" boasted the shopkeeper, gesturing for Louise to take it from his hands.

"Quite, however we shall pass on this one," the mage sharply stated, not falling for the shopkeeper's excessive boasts.

"Perfect, shall we…. eh?" choked the salesman, obviously expecting her to lap up his honeyed words without a thought. And had it been any other Noble, it would likely be what happened. Few Nobles truly understood swords, most wanting the most beautiful, the biggest and the best-looking weapons they could get their hands on, no matter how ineffectual they were in a fight.

"It does not take a scholar to know that gold is a horrid choice of metal for a weapon, it's soft compared to steel," she remarked, using her rather extensive knowledge of weapons acquired over the years, and glaring at the vendor for trying to scam her, "I asked for your finest blade, not an ornament to be hung over a hearth."

"Haha! This lady got you there," called another voice, surprising Siesta who squeaked, looking around to see who had talked, but not seeing anyone else in the room.

"Ugh, he woke up," Muttered the shopkeeper, cursing under his breath for his luck and the awakening of the most annoying thing in his shop, "Shut up and go back to sleep."

Louise, still trying to find the source of the voice, paced over to a pile of weapons where she thought the voice was coming from. A confused look on her face was visible.

"Oi, it's the first time I've been awake in ages and that's the response I get?!"

Finding the source of the voice, the mage reached for the hilt of a rust-covered longsword and yanked the sword from a dogpile of steel and iron.

Inspecting the sword, a look of disbelief fell over the mage's face, one that a person would have when seeing something unbelievable, like an elephant trampling all over the road. Actually, that did happen a few times while she was in Valencia, she almost got crushed back then.

"Oi? What's with that look? Be in awe, for I am the legendary Derflinger!" grated the voice, now clearly coming from the sword. What there was "legendary" about a sword covered in rust, with the leather covering the hilt coming off in straps, was anyone's guess, and had the blade been unable to speak, it would have looked like a poorly kept longsword of passable quality.

"Here we go again…" Grumbled the shopkeeper. Clearly, it wasn't the first time the sword had spoken, as it seemed that the man was already fighting a headache.

"A talking sword..." Mumbled Louise with a stoked look, raising the blade and giving it a few swings. The weight was perfectly balanced, with it centered just where it needed to be. If she didn't already have her Kamasylven blade, she would have picked up this longsword in a heartbeat—of course, after it had been refurbished, she had standards—.

"Oh? You know your way around a sword, Lass. What's your name?"

Now she that was holding it, Louise could see that the "mouth" of the sword appeared to be a piece of the hilt that opened and closed, although outside of that, she had no idea of how it could produce a voice in the first place.

"Louise," she introduced herself. "A pleasure to meet you Derflinger."

"Call me Derf. I can tell from yer grip that yer a seasoned warrior, not to rigid, not to lax."

The woman and sword stared at one another for a few moments (well, as much as a sword could stare), neither saying a word as they stood there, silently evaluating each other.

"Oh? Hello there sweetie~," The talking-sword broke the silence, with Louise quirking an eyebrow at the rather crude attempt at flirting.

"Are you flirting with me?" she asked, her voice slightly disbelieving.

She really needed a vacation if swords started to hit on her. She wasn't that desperate of a woman for company that didn't consist of her Black Spirit.

"What? De hell would I flirt with a human?" Retorted Derf, with Louise almost letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'm talking to that gorgeous young-thing you're carrying around," And her relief just went out the window, instinctively contorting her body to place herself this sword and her blade.

"Oh, don't be like that Lass. I'm a distinguished gentleman with many deeds to my name. I would treat any lady with respect, especially as one as fine and exotic as her."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Her?"

"Well yeah," the rugged sword replied, "The way the light reflects off her polished edge and craftsmanship that implies she was made by the hands of a Goddess just makes my bindings come loose, if you catch my drift."

Her sword's glow turned a scarlet red from the pink it once was.

Sputtering incoherently, Louise facepalmed and muttered under her breath, something about of all the crazy things she had seen, and the maid standing next to her nervously chuckled with an uneasy smile.

"How about this? Get me out of this dump and you'll have one of the most powerful swords in all of Halkeginia at your side!" Offered Derf, with the pink-haired mage thinking the living weapon was severely overestimating himself. However, they did a new weapon, and despite the sword's need for some serious refurbishing, he was a splendid sword.

Not to mention it's a talking sword! How many people could say they owned a talking sword! Her inner-collector quivered at the thought of owning such a rare item. In the other world, she had amassed a vast collection of rare weapons and armor and indulged in her "small" guilty pleasure in her travels.

Although in this case, Derf would go to Siesta and perhaps would be a boon to the young maid's self-esteem, especially once they got some lessons in swordsmanship in. But she had plans to "refurbish" the sword first, no servant under her would ever wield such an unkempt weapon.

Turning her gaze to the shopkeeper, who merely scoffed at the insanity of taking the brash weapon, Louise asked for a price.

"For the love of Brimir, just take the damn thing. Even when I throw him out he finds a way back here to scare off my customers," Growled the man, but the pink-haired mage only returned an eager grin in return.

"Haha, because you deserve it, swindling bastard!" Laughed the sword from all the misery he had inflicted upon the man, who scrunched his eyebrows in anger but held back his temper. He would finally be free from the nuisance after all. With it gone, perhaps he would be able to start turning a benefit!

"Excellent, let us leave Siesta," stated the older woman as she walked toward the exit. The maid in question snapped to attention and followed her mistress out the front door, albeit not before curtsying politely to the vendor.

The door shut with a click and Louise turned to face her maid.

"Siesta, I want you to carry Derflinger from now on. He is your sword. Get used to his weight, his balance, and since he is a talking sword; his quirks," she ordered, placing the sword, along with its sheath, in the arms of the younger woman.

"Eh? Louise?" spluttered the maid, surprised at the sudden weight in her arms.

Taking her mistress's words to heart, she raised the sheathed sword and stared at it as if trying to discern its true nature.

"Oi, take me to dinner before you stare at me so intensely like that," Chuckled Derf, causing the young maiden to blush in embarrassment, still not truly believing the sword was 'alive.'

"Ah," gaped the young maid for a moment, her mind still in disbelief that the weapon in her hands was alive. "My apologies, Sir Derflinger."

"Sir? Bahaha!" Chortled the sword, "I like this Missy, gives me the proper respect I deserve!"

"Quite," Her mistress's lips split into a grin, "She's a special one, a shame the academy let her go. Although, it was to my benefit to gain a dedicated servant such as herself."

"Oh? This sounds like a story I want to hear," chuckled the sword.

"Perhaps some other time, but you should hear the about the first time we met," her grin reached both of her ears as she had a bit of fun at her maid's behalf.

"Please stop teasing me…" Pouted the bashful maid, the memories of their first encounter were too embarrassing, and only the fact that her Mistress was teasing her, without meaning any harm, prevented her from fleeing in embarrassment, although it didn't stop her from blushing.

Reigning in her soft laughter and getting back to business, Louise glanced at her maid.

"Anyways, Siesta do you know of any places where we can stay the night? I'd rather not return to the academy at this late of hour."

Her eyes turned to the setting sun in the distance. It took the entire morning and some of the afternoon to reach the capital by carriage and she'd rather not risk traveling at night with someone who couldn't defend herself nor was accustomed to such things. Despite the relative peace of Tristain, bandits and monsters still wandered the countryside, so it was best not to travel during the night.

"I do know of one place, but…" meekly offered Siesta, her eyes refusing to meet Louise's, and the maid looking uncomfortable.

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"No no!" immediately denied the younger woman, "My uncle and cousin own it and it's only a few blocks from here. But, the accommodations aren't exactly for nobility and my uncle is rather…eccentric and…"

"Eccentric? I assure you Siesta, I've seen many things in my life and despite meeting a talking sword for the first time in my life, little can surprise me."

"If you wish, it's down this street," complied the maid, gesturing to their destination.

Louise turned her gaze across the street and briefly settled her eyes on an alleyway in which a shade of red and blue quickly withdrew out of sight. The pink-haired woman muttered something under her breathed.

"Hm? Did you say something Louise?" Asked Siesta, cocking her head in question as she turned around.

"It's nothing, lead the way."

* * *

Just as the duo left the shop with their new acquisition, a pair of hazelnut and one of aqua eyes carefully watched their every move, hiding in a dark alleyway.

"Um, Tabi… Why are we following them?" Asked the busty Germanian, a bit peeved to be hiding in a dirty alleyway when it would just be easier to tag along.

"Suspicious, gathering intel," explained the smaller girl, as usual only speaking the bare minimum to be understood.

"By following them around doing some shopping?" asked Kirche, raising an eyebrow.

"Important."

"And they say I'm the impulsive one," sighed the Fire Mage, rolling her eyes. "Oh well, as long as I get to spend some quality time with my little Tabi!" She cheered, latching onto the blue-haired mage, smothering her under the enormity of her breasts.

"Can't breathe…" gasped the smaller teen, trying, and failing, to free herself from the clutches of her friend. The Germanian had one _hell_ of a grip, and at times like these, Tabitha greatly regretted that she was more an intellectual than someone gifted with great strength.

"Oops, sorry Tabi," giggled the Ardent as she released the petite mage from the embrace of her bosom. The blue-haired mage recovered quickly from and turned back to the street to resume her spying on her targets, only to find the pink-haired woman and her maid vanished from sight.

The mage-knight jumped to her feet and hurriedly swept her gaze over the entire street, looking for the ostentatious color of pink-hair in the sea of commoners going about their business. But alas, her target had disappeared and she couldn't use her familiar to search for them. It would cause too much unrest and no doubt start a commotion to see a lone dragon flying overhead. Commoners tended to panic after all, and she had no wish to be taken into custody by the royal guards who held the airspace above the city.

She stepped out into the street and began walking in the direction she had last seen the pair, with her long-time friend sauntering along beside her, throwing random winks and allurement at both men and women who stared at her buxom figure for more than just a moment's glance.

They really couldn't be any less inconspicuous, could they?

 **"Keehehe,"** A phantasmal voiced chortled from the now-empty alleyway as a pair of gleaming crimson eyes blinked further down the narrow path.

The shade vanished as it sunk back into the ground.

* * *

Walking down the streets of the capital, Louise took in the sights of the city she had not seen in ages. It was… nostalgic in a sense, despite having only seen most of the city through the window of a horse-drawn carriage in her early years to go be the Princess's playmate.

How would the Princess—soon to be Queen—react to a childhood friend having changed so much? Gods, she must be nearly a decade or so older than her friend who was previously of the same age as her. The days seemed to be shorter in the other world, not counting the many years she had resided there. So, getting an accurate number for what her age would be in Tristain would be difficult without knowing the time relation.

Not even to mention the physical differences from her body growing so much. As first noticed by Zero, who claimed it had "broken" something when they had bonded but had no idea what it was. The following months had her body growing at a phenomenal rate, which was further accented by the fate she had inherited the Kamasylven blade which gifted her body with proportions more commonly attributed to elves than humans (minus the ears of course) as all inheritors of Kamasylven blades needed the upmost control of their own bodies and minds or their own swords would consume them. So, the image of "little Louise" was forever shattered the moment she had been taken from Halkeginia.

Not that she minded. Being the only one in her year who had yet to develop breasts had been something she had felt ashamed of, as back then, even being average in her looks would have been something she would have taken pride in. Alas, she had been cursed to look like a child, which only served to make her nickname of "Zero" crueler, as apparently, she couldn't even grow past a child. She wondered how she fared now, compared to Henrietta.

But that was a bridge to cross when they came to it, and she wasn't complaining about her new assets.

In all honestly, she was taking everything easy for now. It had been so long since she didn't have to worry about any immediate danger. No monster or barbarian subjugations, no villages or towns to defend, no shadowy factions, no commercial enterprise to manage. No inquisition that clamored to have her burned at the stake. No worry about dying from dehydration or freezing to death in the Black Desert. It was… nice. Hell, even Zero was enjoying exploring the city as their little entourage—plus one—wandered through the city.

Her pink eyes swept over the crowd of commoners going about their business. A produce vendor who stood under the shade of his stand, grumbling to himself about quotas. Two boys chased one another with a pair of fake swords, playing knights.

She even spotted the odd noble fumbling his way through the sea of people, apparent by the wand that strapped to his belt.

She scoffed at the idea of nobility being granted just because one could cast magic. Louise could list just over a dozen ways off the top of her head on how to kill a magic user without resorting to magic in kind, a dagger in the back or a gunshot. Magicians and sorcerers were a common foe she had to face in the other world, especially rogue sorcerers and witches. Strangely, magic users seemed to always expect flashy opponents, when all it took to take them down was strategy and, depending on the strength of the wizard or sorcerer, preparation.

Turning her gaze forward once more, she saw Siesta amicably chatting away with Derf like they had become fast friends. The supposedly-legendary sword talking about accomplished feats long in the past: Like slaying orcs, dragons, and whatnot. The whole thing had the blade's ego at an all-time high and Siesta with stars in her eyes at the novelty of owning a magic sword.

Walking for a few minutes, she noticed the atmosphere of the city change. It became... less welcoming, like when she had entered Calpheon's slums for the first time. Although there were no outright signs of poverty, the mood of the people had changed. They were less cheerful, vagabonds hung around the street corners, the number of children that ran about in the streets increased. The occasional odd person lay slumped over in an alleyway with empty bottles arrayed around them.

Stares followed her as they walked down the sidewalk, mostly at Louise herself because of her vibrant pink hair and obvious noble upbringing in the way she conducted herself. She felt like an oddity, an intruder, in the vast ocean of dull color. As if at any one moment the crowds would swarm her to remove the foreign object like the body would to an infection.

The woman sighed at her melancholic thoughts.

Thankfully, their destination didn't delve too deep in the poorer areas of the capital. Derf's grandiose stories came to a stop and he slid back into his sheath with a clink as Siesta halted in front a building that looked like a bar or inn with the sounds of laughter and cheers coming from inside.

Charming Fairies, the sign that hung in front of the doorway read.

"Sounds more like the name of a brothel than an inn," Louise blurted out, with the maid merely sighing and grumbling to herself in agreement right after (strangely forgetting to ask how a noblewoman would know what brothel names should sound like). Siesta reached to open the door for her mistress, but seem to hesitate. Reaffirming herself of her duties—and the fact she suggested this in the first place—she reached for the door, opened it, and took a single step inside before a high-pitched squeal assaulted their ears.

"Ah~ Ah~ Welcome!… Ah~ Ah~ My dearest niece!~ Little Siesta!~ How~ Long~ Has~ It~ Been!~" An extremely high-pitched voice squeaked out in cheer and a very, very large… man… woman… thing rushed over and embraced the raven-haired maid in a massive bear hug, lifting the poor maid nearly a foot off the ground and smothering her face in "his" pectorals.

"It's good to see you too uncle…" croaked the poor maid, her eyes glazed over as she suffocated.

"No~ No~ We've been over this before! ~ Call me Mi Mademoiselle~!" insisted the flamboyant person, releasing the raven-haired young woman from his (hers?) grasp.

Getting a better look at the what Louise assumed to be the proprietor of this inn, she could see his waxed mustache twitching back and forth and muscles pulsing as he spoke on.

Ignoring the chattering cross-dressing man, she inspected the rest of the inn where other patrons—nearly all men except for one woman oddly enough—had waitresses, dressed in corsets and skirts that revealed far too much of their skin and legs, clutching at their sides chatting amicably away.

'So, it's that kind of place…although it doesn't seem to offer 'that' kind of service,' she noted, noticing the girls were very young ranging anywhere from fourteen to mid-twenties. But her pink-eyed gaze hardened when started to notice little things about the girls who brightly smiled and giggled away at their patron's jokes even if they weren't funny.

A blonde-haired girl, in a pink-dress and who wore her hair in twin-tails, had a horrid pink-lined scar that traced her shoulder blade, normally being unnoticeable underneath the hair that covered it.

A red-head had no noise coming out from her lips as she rolled her eyes from her patron's increasing silliness, enhanced by the numerous mugs of alcohol he had consumed. She waved her hand to another girl who stood on the sidelines instead of calling out to her. A thin-scar ran across the upper part of her throat, just above where her choker had slid down—to her ignorance-, revealing the deformity.

These two girls weren't the only ones, they all carried some burden, either physical or mental, and Zero agreed with her as the phantom watched through her eyes. Although, they hid it masterfully under the guise of cheerful smiles and with the help of copious amounts of alcohol served to their patrons.

"Yes uncle," Siesta replied dryly, not wishing to give in to her uncle's eccentricity. Her father's own words of 'just ignore it and carry on' repeated in the maid's thoughts.

"No~ No~," Peering over his niece's head, the towering man(woman?) moved his eyes to Louise, who was standing behind his niece.

"Oh? Siesta? Who is this beautiful young lady? ~" He asked with a twirling hand and flamboyant feminine gestures.

Noticing the attention was back on her, the mage spotted Siesta's gaze asking for permission to introduce her and gave a slight nod.

"This is Louise de La Vallière, I'm her new personal attendant."

The pink-haired woman gave a slight wave of her hand with a faint smile.

"Vallière? ~" He cocked his head as ran his rather scrutinizing gaze over his niece's new mistress. Nearly everyone in Tristain knew of the Vallières and the amount of political and marshal power they possessed, as well as their holdings in nearly every major industry in Tristain.

"Personal attendant? ~ Weren't you supposed to be working at that fancy noble academy? ~" He pointed out, and Siesta winced at the sudden question that struck a bit too close. Understandable since she had been fired from her old position just the day before.

"Oh… I um…" She stammered and wilted under her uncle's inquisitive gaze, "Got fired…"

His blue eyes widened in shock for but a moment.

"Oh no! ~ You poor thing! Come come, tell Mi Mademoiselle all about your troubles. ~ Bring your mistress along!"

And so, the two newcomers were swiftly guided to a table in the back corner by the serving girls and one man in drag. Siesta relayed her experiences of the past few days on what had occurred and how her new mistress hired her immediately afterwards. At least, after Louise had to convince the two of them to sit down alongside her and not stand at attention like other nobles would have them do.

She was rather famished afterall and she would rather have a meal than deal with the whole commoner-noble "etiquette" routine. What use was etiquette when you were starving? She never understood why some nobles placed so much emphasis on etiquette, what was the point of being "proper" if you were dead of starvation?

Plates of food and ale were placed in front of them as the two relatives chatted away with each other, and Louise had no qualms about enjoying the rather delicious meal, if a little plain, that was served.

"Oh no! ~" Wailed the uncle at the story of misfortune his niece shared with him. His gaze swiveled to face Louise. His muscle-lined hands swept forward and grasped Louise's own.

"Thank you for taking care of my little Siesta~" he cried, exaggerating the action like pretty much every one he took, crushing the pink-haired woman in a bear-like hug.

His view on the Vallière rose tremendously because of the tale he had just heard. Nobles, in his eyes, were a bunch of ill-hearted folk that would never own up to their mistakes, and to think that such a kind-hearted noble like the one before him would hire his niece because of a mistake did a lot to ease his worry. After all, even at the Academy, Siesta had been at risk of being "hired" by an ill-intentioned Noble, but now that she was a personal attendant to someone who clearly cared about her, the odds of her being "used" had all but disappeared.

The Mage hesitated at the sudden physical contact from the large, masculine hand that completely dwarfed her own, but quickly clamped down on her instinct to retaliate on the man who held no ill will towards her.

Was this man part giant or something? Her hand was completely encased in his own.

Staring at the man's eyes, who were rather surprisingly the very same shade of blue as his niece's, she gave him a small smile.

"You are welcome and I assure you that I will care for Siesta as long as she remains under my employ."

While she had obviously meant it as taking care of a trusted friend, Siesta, due to her choice in literature being somewhat "special", took Louise's words entirely the wrong way, blushing up a storm and stammering weakly.

"Ho!~ Ho!~" chuckled the innkeeper, "With a declaration like that it seems Mi Mademoiselle can rest easy about her little niece. ~" He sent an overly expressive wink at his niece, and was rewarded with weak hits from the blushing maid, who was mumbling under her breath at unintelligible volumes.

The pink-haired woman looked at the two relatives banter back and forth (mostly at the young maid's expense) and her eyes softened as a faint smile made its way across her lips. It had been a long time since she had seen such love between family members. It brought up old memories, buried deep within her archives of her thoughts, of her elder sister. She could barely remember the face or voice of her precious "Chi-nee," but the maternal comfort her sister provided in the absence of her real mother's in the most trying time of her previous life could never be forgotten.

She raised the mug of ale and took a long and slow sip. It tasted like it were made from waste water but had a rather comforting feeling that rose from within her core. No wonder it made all these customer's lips quite loose as they chatted away with the young and attractive girls.

Hm, that gave her an idea… maybe she could….

Banishing the thoughts for later, she rose from her seat and turned toward the crossdressing proprietor.

"Do you have any vacancies? It is getting quite late to be traveling the roads to the academy."

The man blinked a few times, his face losing his exaggerated smile for once.

"Ah yes, there's been rumors of bandits lately, but never mind that. ~ There's a room up the stairs over there, and the third door on the left. ~ Just ask Clara at the front desk for the key ~" he answered, resuming his act, and singing his words to a tune only he could hear, dancing over to his employees.

"Thank you for the meal," She thanked, giving a flourished bow, startling the commoners, "Siesta please pay for the meal and lodgings for the two of us, and feel free to reacquaint yourself with your family for the rest of the evening. I feel as if you have much to talk about," she finished, grinning.

"Yes, Miss Valliere," nodded, slipping back to her formal role, acknowledging the pink-haired woman's command. She waited until her mistress retrieved the key and disappeared up the stairs, before the young maid rose to her feet and scurried off in search of her cousin who was no doubt in the kitchen. Her eagerness to relate her story to her cousin with whom she frequently traded letters with was her task now. After all, it's not every day a lowly maid like herself is blessed with an opportunity like this!

And so, with the company of her uncle, the two of them disappeared behind the counter into the backrooms away from the rest of the folk.

* * *

The door clicked shut behind Louise as she stepped into the room. It wasn't grand, but the amount of furnishing and overall upkeep was evidence enough that this was one of the nicer rooms in the inn.

Plopping herself onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling above as she laid upon the sheets.

"Hey Zero," she called, knowing that even if she couldn't see him, the Black Spirit was nearby.

 **"Yes?"** answered the midnight-cloaked Wraith, as it rose from a shadowy corner of the room, trailing a black mist behind it.

"How were our little pursuers?"

 **"As if they could even be called that. They lost us immediately after leaving the shop and** **that** **was mostly because of the one with red-hair."**

"Hmm," the pink-haired Mage hummed in reply without taking her eyes off the roof above, "So how was Tristain? Thoughts?"

 **"It was interesting for a while, until I realized something as I explored the city."**

"Oh? What's that?"

 **"That humans are the same regardless of where one goes,"** sneered the spirit, his disdain for their species clear.

"I see…" replied Louise with a grim look on her face. The two basked in each other's presence for a few silent seconds before the Mage hopped to her feet and walked to the room's window, which overlooked the cobblestone street.

"Anyways, we need to discuss our plans, but we can do after I talk to Scarron about these so-called bandits. I have a bad feeling about them."

* * *

Back downstairs in the kitchen, two black-haired teens, who shared many physical features like their raven hair and faint blue eyes, quietly giggled to each other as they caught up on what the other had been up to since they last met. Interesting, happenstances, or embarrassing things that they would only share with each other like the best of friends and none other.

Jessica, who was Siesta's cousin and daughter of Scarron (or Mi Mademoiselle), was a young, attractive woman a few months younger than her maid cousin.

"Ho? So you got roped into a situation with some snotty nobles, got fired, then got hired by the same noble that got you fired in the first place?" Snorted Jessica, flipping over a steak someone had ordered with quick precision.

"Well, when you put it like that it sounds more terrible than it actually was," the black-haired maid relented as she stirred a large pot with some sort of meaty stew alongside her cousin, deciding to assist Jessica, as she cooked for their patrons. Her mistress had given her free reign for the rest of the evening after all, and cooking wasn't really a chore for her, given that she had good company.

"Miss Valliere stood up for me alone when everyone accused me, it wasn't her fault that I accepted the gift and got discovered because I couldn't hold my tongue."

"I guess… just be careful. You know how nobles can be," Sighed Jessica, but then her lips turned into a rather eager grin, "So? How much money is that coin worth? And what's she paying you?"

"Jessica!" huffed Siesta with a fake look of betrayal, but the grin stretching her lips made it clear that it was in good cheer. Reaching into the sanctum of a woman's safest place to store items-between her breasts-she pulled out the massive silver coin while her eyes darted around to make sure no one spied in on them.

"Holy shit!" swore Jessica, staring incredulously at the coin now sitting in her palm. The glowing ember from the lantern illuminating the recesses of the kitchen reflected of the lustrous silvery surface, showing that it was worth far more than the coins the two young women were used to.

"This thing must be worth a fortune," she whispered in shock, as she inspected the strange writings that seem to be in some ancient language and the gravure that accompanied it, one of a man standing with what seemed to be stones piled around him.

The cousin's face almost deflated as Siesta snatched the silvery coin away.

"I'm not sure how much it will go for, but Miss Valliere assures me that the weight in silver alone would last quite some time. Although…" She leaned over, cupped a hand over her cousin's ear, and whispered into it.

Jessica's eyes widened in shock and she gave the maid a flabbergasted look.

"She's paying you that much!? I know that commoners can make quite a bit of money if they are personal retainers or attendants of a prestigious family, but that's way more than I was expecting!"

"I know!" Cheered the young maid, "it's reassuring to know that even if my father's crops fail we'll never go hungry again."

"Have you told your parents about this yet?" Asked Jessica, putting the finishing touches on several dishes and sprinkling some seasoning on them. She rang a small golden bell and one of the waitresses came over and retrieved it, disappearing back to the front of the establishment.

Siesta shook her head as she chopped some vegetables with rapid tempo.

"I don't want to tell them until the harvest is over, our family is simple, and I don't to change that."

"Aw, ain't that adorable," Cooed Jessica as she reached over and ruffled Siesta's hair, causing her maid cap to shift to the side. "Don't forget your cousin when you get rich, alright?" She grinned and was going to continue but a voice cut her off.

"Siesta! I am going to procure a few things and take care of some business, I should be back sometime in the night," called Louise, standing at the kitchen's entrance.

"Do you wish for me to accompany you, Miss Valliere?" asked the maid, putting the dishes she had been washing, back, and cleaning her hands with a towel.

"No, I've already dismissed you for the evening and I have no wish to drag along a beautiful young woman through the streets this late."

"Oh…" Mumbled the maid as she blushed profusely at the unexpected compliment, "Alright Miss Valliere. I will remain here until you return."

"Just make sure to go to bed early," the pink-haired mage added, "We will be leaving at the crack of dawn to return to the academy."

With that, she turned away and walked out of the inn, disappearing into the night.

"Eh… so that's your boss, acts more like a mom if anything," grinned Jessica, her eyes moving over the noblewoman's backside as she walked away.

"But still, if she was one of our girls she'd steal all the earnings the other girls would make. I mean, damn, imagine her in one of those corsets the girls wear."

"Jessica!" Scolded the maid, but the scarlet hue on her cheeks betrayed her inner thoughts. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Sure," she continued her smirk, "I got some new recommendations for 'reading material' I think you'd like. You can read them in my room after we finish these dishes."

* * *

 **~Flashback~**

"Ugh," groaned Louise, the pink-haired mage tossing and turning. She was laying on something, and from the feeling of it, it wasn't the cold, hard floor she had expected.

"She's waking up!" called out a familiar voice, a woman's voice, jostling the young girl as a blinding light struck her face. Her pink eyes blearily peeled opened and a throbbing pain made her grab her temples as she moaned in discomfort. She found herself in a tent of some sort, a private tent if her guess was correct from the visible lack of weapons, gear, and Vigilante equipment in general.

Propping herself on an arm, she tried to rise from her lying back position, but a hand pushed her back down and she found that all her strength had left her as she could offer no resistance to the gentle push.

Her eyes darted to the owner of the hand and found a young elven woman staring intently at her, the woman uncomfortably close as she all but invaded Louise's personal space.

While something at the back of her mind was telling her to run away from the elf, Louise simply didn't have the strength to even stand, let alone make a run for it. She didn't remember exactly how she'd ended up there, but it certainly had done a number on her body as she felt aches in places she didn't even know could feel aches.

Her rising panic at her sudden weakness was quickly noticed by the elf, the woman offering her a reassuring smile as she made sure to not make any sudden moves.

"Hey, hey. Easy now. Don't worry you're okay," tried to sooth the elf, but alas her words had precious little effect on Louise, who was starting to work herself in a panic attack.

"W-Where am I?" demanded the petite mage, her voice, despite being low due to how weak she felt, managing to convey just how frantic she was.

"You're in the Western Guard Camp. Don't worry you're safe," repeated the woman.

Louise almost didn't believe her, but the look of concern on the elf's face dissuaded her from that line of thought. She could tell the woman was seriously worried about her given the way her eyes constantly moved over her body, checking for signs of anything worng.

The exhausted pink-haired teen closed her eyes when another throb of pain made her hiss in discomfort, her headache apparently returning with a vengeance.

"Ah," mumbled the woman, placing a nice cool hand on Louise's forward and a comforting green glow emanated from her hand. The intensity of the pain dropped by several magnitudes, but did not fully disappear. Nevertheless, it was a welcome respite.

"Sorry about that, Edan got a bit overzealous back there and somehow decided that knocking you out was the best course of action."

"By punching me? It feels like I took a hammer to the face…" groaned Louise, before falling silent and enjoying the cool feeling on her head that soothed the pain.

"Well, that's good to know considering he's my bodyguard of sorts," dryly chuckled the woman, as the pink-haired girl inquisitively glanced at her, but the look on her face showed she wasn't going to share her story any time soon.

"T-thank you for taking care of me…" mumbled Louise, but realized she did not know the elven woman's name.

"Orwen, my name is Orwen," smiled the elf.

"O-Oh, thank you Orwen."

"You're welcome… for a Black Spirit host you're rather pleasant to speak with."

"Black Spirit?" asked Louise, trying, but failing, to hide that she had a _very_ good idea of what Orwen was talking about.

The elf's eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Yes, the Black Spirit that is attached to your soul? The whispering voice in your mind that does not belong to you?" she offered, her tone cautious.

"U-Um…" stammered Louise, unable to answer the question, recalling one of the very first things Zero told her was to NEVER reveal his presence.

"Louise, after that show you gave us, there's no point in hiding it. I know there's a Black Spirit attached to you."

"Y-You know?" She asked in a panicked voice, gazing about the room for the presence of the mysterious wraith, now known as a Black Spirit. And sure enough, Zero materialized into existence directly behind the elf woman, sinisterly grinning as he flew above her head. But, it seemed the elf woman could not notice the being that hovered mere inches above her head.

Louise gaped at the sight. Could she not see it?

 **"She knows…. Kill her…."** whispered the Wraith, clacking his glistening white teeth.

 **"Kill her…"** the voice repeated in the back of her mind. **"She will be the downfall of us, kill her…"**

"Yes, I do. How did you get possessed by it?" Orwen asked, unware of the Spirit that wished for her demise, but she cocked her head and turned around to where Zero floated. But in her eyes, nothing was there but empty space. She turned back to Louise and found the girl not even paying attention to her.

"N-no no… I can't do that…. I'm not going to…" Louise stammered, her eyes crazed, darting to the dagger at Orwen's belt, before hastily looking away, but the black-haired elf noticed the look her "patient" was giving her.

"Louise… is it talking to you right now?"

"She's going to tell everyone, kill her…"

"Y-Yes…. it… it wants me to kill you…" almost unconsciously, the pinkette's hand extended towards the dagger, only for it to withdraw as Louise resulted the spirit's command.

The elf's blue eyes widened in shock, but she held her position.

 **"What are you doing? Listen to me! If she tells anyone that I exist within you, they will burn us at the stake!"**

"No!" Screamed Louise, burying her face into the blanket in hopes of willing the Spirit away, and the wraith vanished with no further provocation.

"Louise! Louise, it's okay!"

"HEY! WHATS GOING ON IN THERE?" A man's voice yelled out, the tent bathed with light as the flaps of the entrance swung open. A man in full plate armor stood in the entrance to the tent, his plated-hand rested on the broadsword that hung from his hip.

The elf made no bid to move from her seat by Louise's bedside, less she unintentionally provoke the imposing armored-man.

"Oh, I'm sorry officer, she just woke up from and was having a mild panic attack from waking up in an unfamiliar place."

His weary eyes were drawn to the pink-haired girl that laid on the cot with a terrified expression on her face. His eyes widened in recollection as he noticed who exactly the girl who was bed-rested was, the Hero of Olvia. Even the officer who was stationed in the Western Guard Camp had heard of the tales of heroics that a lone girl with pink-hair had accomplished in the defense of Olvia. But seeing just how young the girl was…

"I see…" He mumbled in a deep voice, "Just keep it down, everyone is still on edge from the rest of the imps and I don't want the men to worry about our resident hero being in a panic."

"My apologies, I'll be sure to take care of her."

"See that you do," he grumbled, before turning around and leaving.

The elven woman turned back to the girl who had buried herself in the sheets that covered her, whimpering quietly to herself. Her heart broke at the sight of someone so young at the mercy of a Black Spirit. Never had she encountered someone so fragile who still held her sanity while being possessed by a Black Spirit, usually they were adventurers whose own greed led to ancient ruins that teemed with the beings, only to become possessed and lose their minds to the wraiths. They all become puppets sooner or later.

This would have to be handled carefully, less she unintentionally harm the pink-haired girl's mind.

"Louise…" whispered Orwen, gently rubbing the young girl's back. She stiffened at the touch, but did little else.

"Louise, I can help you, but you need to tell me what I need to know," she whispered, putting as much motherly feelings she could in her tone, God knew how much the girl needed it.

"Help?" The girl repeated as Orwen nodded her head. "O-Okay…."

The panic in her eyes slowly died out, but it was clear from her body language that she was still very much afraid, terrified even, and the elf couldn't blame her. Someone so young subjected to a Black Spirit, yet still sane, was incredible, but it had to put an incredible strain on her.

"Alright then. First off, how did you encounter the Black Spirit?"

"Um…," stumbled the girl over her words, "I don't remember."

The elven woman raised an eyebrow at Louise who shrank from the questioning gaze.

"I woke up in Olvia with no memories and Zero was there when I came to," she hastily explained.

"Zero?" prodded Orwen, the pink-haired mage shrinking on herself and sinking under the covers, "Louise, I can't help you if you aren't honest with me."

The young girl relented.

"It's the thing that you call a Black Spirit, I didn't know what to call it so I gave it that name."

"Okay…" Awkwardly stated the woman before she continued, "so no recollection or memories of anything before you woke up correct?"

Louise slowly nodded her head with a blank look on her face, "I only remember my name, Zero said he took my memories and won't give them back until our deal is finished."

Blue eyes narrowed.

"A deal?"

This was unprecedented, on many levels. Orwen had never heard of any hosts that held their sanity, and even more so that a Black Spirit was willing to barter with. Anyone who did even the slightest research in Black Spirits knew just how dangerous working with the wraiths could be, less you become an unfortunate host yourself.

"In exchange for helping Zero find something, it teaches me how to get stronger…. And I listen."

"Louise, you have to be extremely careful with what it offers you. It is NOT on your side."

The pink-haired girl visibly deflated and remained silent for a few seconds, before speaking up.

"I didn't know how to use a sword until the imps attacked," she whispered.

"I'm sorry?" asked Orwen, looking a little lost.

Raising her voice, Louise continued.

"I didn't know how to use a bow or even skin an animal until just a while ago when I hunted a deer on my very first hunt!"

"Loui-" Spoke Orwen to ask what she was talking about, but was not allowed to as the girl continued her rant.

"I don't want to be weak anymore! I'm sick of people looking at me like I'm some sort of thing to ridicule and pity! I don't want to lose my only chance at becoming strong! I'm tired of being a Zero!" Her outburst ended with heavy breaths coming out of her lungs, but the look on her face was frozen in realization of her words.

A guilty expression appeared on the pink-haired girl's face. "I-I…. I apologize…I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright, I couldn't possibly even imagine what it's like. Just know you aren't alone anymore," smiled the elf, comfortingly taking Louise's hand in her own and rubbing circles on it. Their eyes met and gazed into each other for what seemed to be an eternity.

"Eh? I hope I'm not interrupting anything," interrupted a male voice, one where a smirk was almost audible.

Surprised at the voice, Louise quickly pulled back her hands while a crimson blush overtook her cheeks.

"Edan!?" Exclaimed the startled woman, "By the Goddess, don't sneak up on us like that."

"Sorry," he said, his tone not apologetic in the least especially with the smirk still on his face.

"Just getting the new guy to meet our little host here, I figured I would get someone to show her the ropes on dealing with a Black Spirit."

"New guy? Edan what are you talking about?" Questioned Orwen with a puzzled look.

"Oh right, not part of the Guard so you wouldn't know," He mumbled, for himself more than anything, "Well, Louise isn't the only one who kept her sanity when she got possessed. Some of the other guards found this guy a while ago drifting in the Ross Sea."

"Oi, get your ass over here and stop flirting with that cute garrison officer!" Edan yelled. Louise and Orwen looked at each other with a hint of dismay in their eyes.

"Coming, jeez," The voice of a young boy, sounding like he was in teens, called out in reply and his form came into view as he entered the tent, "I wasn't flirting Edan. I was just asking around, god."

"Right, and I'm the king of Calpheon. Now come on, introduce yourself to the new girl."

"New girl?" The young man repeated until a look of realization came upon him. "Oh right, the one who has a Black Spirit possessing her too."

He turned his sapphire gaze towards the girl with pink-diamond eyes and offered her a welcoming grin.

"Hey there, the name's Saito!" The young, raven-haired man grinned with such honesty in his blue eyes that Louise couldn't help but take his outstretched, rough, calloused hand and shake it in her own dainty ones.

"Louise."

 **~Flashback End~**

* * *

 **Authors Notes:**

I'm pleasantly surprised I've reached over **200+ followers!** Thanks for all the interest in my humble story and I hope you all leave reviews about your thoughts on my story! For those you that enjoy my work, considering checking out my other story, **Remanoir** , a Fate X RWBY crossover (shameless self-advertisement?). My next release will be on that story.

My apologies for taking so long with this chapter, started a new job and graduate work. I also bought and played **NieR: Automata** (best game I have ever had the honor to own) and got heavily addicted to it. That ending just hits you so hard in the feels! I even have a few ideas for a crossover with it that came to life in my head as I played it. Sadly, between this story and Remanoir I probably won't get to it soon (if ever). So between that, NieR, and Dark Souls 3, I've been pretty occupied.

Another thing, life skills are an important thing in Black Desert, so I wanted to reflect that in the items that Louise brought back with her. She's pretty much an artisan/master in all of the fields, and she knows just how important they can be. Money is power, afterall. And if you control industries of a country, especially agriculture, one can essentially control it.

As always, super amazing thanks to **Arawn D. Draven** for beta'ing my work! Check out his amazing stories as thanks!

 **Answering Reviews** :

 **Edelhart** – I just want to first say thank you for the honest and thoughtfully written out review that you took the time to write out. I'm glad you're liking my story so far despite its flaws.

You bring up a good deal of points that I, admittingly, did poorly to convey. Especially when it comes to Louise's mentality and now apathy towards her previous life in Halkeginia. I will keep your points in mind as I write future chapters. To be honest, the first two chapters were the most difficult because I had to think of a way to "properly" explain Louise's absence and her initially dealing with that. I may go back in the future and rewrite the first two chapters to better reflect.

As for the memories, In Black Desert, the Black Spirit specifically states that he has taken your memories and will only return them until the "deal" made between the player and the Black Spirit is fulfilled. Now in my fic, something else happened (that is inspired by the main quest of BDO) that forced the Black Spirit to return her "locked" memories.

For the last subject of addressment, as many are writing in their responses to previous chapter, **this is NOT going to be a yuri harem** even it may seem to have been leaning towards that direction last chapter with Siesta. Yuri indeed, but no harem. The pairing is going to be Louise and Henrietta.

 **KillerHamster** – First off, I love your name. Reminds me of the dreaded Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python for some reason.

As for the time spent, the main difference between the worlds of Halkeginia and Black Desert is that of the nations and races of people that reside in them. There isn't much "culture-shock" other than the religions with Elionism and Aal in BDO and Brimir-ism in Halkeginia. However, I will keep it in mind.

 **Paktu, LilSpirit88, Thy Pegasus Box** – thanks for your praise! It's these types of comments that motivate me to continue writing in my sparingly free time than just dick around. Hope you'll continue to read my story!


	4. Ch 4: A Whisper

**.**

 **Chapter 4: A Whisper**

* * *

"Talking normally," said Louise.

' _Thinking to myself,'_ thought Louise.

" **Check out my teeth!"** Exclaimed the Black Spirit.

* * *

"Thank you, Lord Gramont, for the update on the Albion situation," stated the Princess, seated with her sole advisor standing by her side, her eyes closed in contemplation, and nodding to one of the most decorated and trusted Generals in her kingdom's meager army.

"Of course, your Highness. I will keep the Crown informed of any developments," saluted the man, a rather handsome, middle-aged blond man, his face set in a mask of professionalism, his mustache bristling.

"We see, and once again we thank you for your continued service to Tristain and the Crown, General. You are dismissed," continued the Princess, her voice cold and serious, more akin to an experienced ruler's than to a not-yet coronated Princess. Her face, despite possessing a beauty that had countless men of all ages fawning over her looks, was set in a neutral expression, showing none of her emotions.

The blonde General saluted once more, turned around and left the courtroom. The doors slammed shut, and the magenta-haired princess slumped back into her throne, letting out a heavy sigh laced with anxiety.

 _'My throne',_ she bitterly thought, tightening her grip on the ornate wooden armrest. The throne was the last thing she wanted, but alas, she knew she couldn't simply abdicate. It would be spiting in the face of all that her parents had taught her, and while she loathed her position, she knew that another would not necessarily have the same concern for her people, as most nobles cared little for those who couldn't use magic.

"My Queen?" Her elderly advisor, Cardinal Mazarin, spoke in a faint voice, knowing just how much recent events wore heavily on the young girl he had cared for and watched over since birth.

"I am not the Queen yet," sharply retorted magenta-haired girl, but winced when she realized how unsightly her response was. All these proceedings, foreign dignitaries hoping to curry favor, and economic proposals were exhausting on the young woman. Not to mention the situation in Albion that seem to be worsening every passing day.

She was deathly worried, not for herself, but for the people of Tristain who seemed to be suffering now more than ever, for her mother who could not even muster the will to raise from bed, for W-….

"My apologies Princess," the old advisor bowed as he continued, "but as you are acting in your mother's stead while she mourns, you are the Queen in the eyes of many, including much of the nobility," soothed the man, making a gesture of appeasement.

He knew full well that the Princess did not want the throne, did not want to be forced to reign instead of her mother, and yet did so out of obligation and concern for her people. She was aware that Mazarin did his best to lessen her workload and work, but he was but one man and was best suited to give advice, not filling up paperwork.

"I understand," sighed the young woman. "All this… everything just happened so quickly."

The advisor's eyebrows creased, and a look of concern appeared on his wrinkled face, like a grandfather would about his granddaughter. In many ways, he fit that role. While not related by blood, he had helped raise the Princess since birth, had seen her grow from a child to a young woman, had seen her highs and lows, and such closeness came with bonds often seen between grandparents and their grandchildren.

His gazed closely scrutinized Henrietta, almost as if he was half-expecting the girl to shatter like glass under the pressure she was forced to face.

"Yes…" He blankly said, almost as if he had to gather his thoughts, "Everything did happen much too quickly and unexpectedly, but know there are many of us that wish to see you succeed and reign for many long years. Do not forget you are not alone in that endeavor," Assured the elderly advisor. It was little support, both of them knew it, but even when alone together there was protocol to be respected, lest other nobles start using their closeness to remove the man and replace him with someone who would give advice closer to what they wanted.

The young lady sat there in silence, digesting in Mazarin's words.

"I see, I will ponder on your words…"

Mentally, she knew that she had many allies in her court. Emotionally, however, was another story. It was more like the court had been so eager for the young Princess to replace her father on the throne that no one except her mother had even the time to mourn for the now-deceased monarch. And the worrying news coming out of Albion only caused the upper nobility to band together and push for her arranged marriage to Germania to solidify an alliance against the inevitable wave of Reconquista.

"Is there any remaining business scheduled for today?"

The old man hummed in response as he looked at the schedule in his hands, before looking up and giving the Princess a faint smile, gesturing towards the throne room's massive doors.

Henrietta replied with a smile of her own and rose from the throne, walking atop the long, lavish carpet that led to the doors. The doors swung open as she reached them, revealing her bodyguard, Agnes, captain of the Royal Musketeers.

She held the deepest respect for Agnes and her fellow women under the Knightess's and her own direct command. Despite being commoners with no inkling of magic, they had achieved much under their own prowess and character, even if some of the more pretentious nobles sneered at them behind their backs. If they had been born in Germania, for sure they would have been nobility with their aspiration and drive.

Although, the leader of the Musketeers, Agnes, could do with loosening up a bit, as straight-laced as the older woman was. But, ever since her father died, the loyal musketeer had been quite overzealous in her efforts to protect her royal charge. Even to the point that Agnes sampled every meal before she consumed it or before it came into the faintest of scents. It had gotten so bad, that Henrietta had to order the Knightess for even a hint of privacy more often than not, since she was always insisting on not being more than a few paces away from the Princess at any given time.

Although, the pedestaled Princess would occasionally catch the Musketeer captain gazing at her with a strange look on her face, but confrontation only led to denial of any such action.

"Princess," greeted the blonde Knightess as she positioned herself and strode alongside Henrietta, sweeping her eyes over shadows, open windows, and passing by servants for any possible threats to her Princess's safety. Their walk down the corridor was done in an awkward silence, the young sovereign in all but name unsure of how to breach the silence, while the older woman tensed at every shadow, her hand on her sword.

"Agnes, how are your musketeers coming along?" Asked Henrietta, hoping to make some small talk with the woman who was only a few years her elder.

"They are dutiful in their training," Succinctly stated the Captain, and the two fell back into an uneasy silence that seemed to only affect the anxious Princess. Time slowly crawled by, almost as fast as the pace they set, the young woman's dress not letting her walk any quicker over fear of tripping over herself.

After what seemed to be a quiet eternity, only broken by the clacking of Agnes's greaves and taps of Henrietta's heels, they finally reached her quarters, with her steadfast Knightess positioning herself directly in front of the door. She bid Agnes a pleasant night, not before the blonde knight swept through the room in search of any potential threats, and softly shut the door behind her, leaving the Princess alone in the expansive room that felt more like a cell than a true bedroom, at least to the young woman.

Making her way to her dresser, she began to strip away her cloak and white dress, silently falling to the floor in a crumpled heap, and, standing in her undergarments, gazed at the reflection in the mirror.

The image of a scared, lonely girl stared back.

She took a long, deep breath and looked back at the pane of glass. Twisting her body around to get a better look at herself, she noted an odd shading of murky purple on her neck and lower back. Perhaps sitting in that stuffy, uncomfortable chair for so long wasn't so good. Her posture was going to suffer, and it wouldn't do to have a hunchbacked Princess. Touching the murky bruise, she winced and recoiled at the tender flesh.

Maybe she could pad it with some cushions? She quietly snorted at the thought, imagining herself flopping onto the throne with her bedroom pillows with her legs hung over the armrests like some uncouth tyrant would, while glaring at some dignitary with a confused look on their face. She could even have a servant feed her grapes while doing so, like a Germanian noble would. The mere thought of it elicited giggles from the self-amused girl, and it certainly would stir old man Maz into quite the fit.

The lone figure in the mirror stared back at her and its smiling face quickly fell flat. Founder above, she was so _lonely_. When had it come down to this? To have to amuse herself like this, alone in her bedroom?

The young Princess needed some form of respite, someone who could be trusted to confide in with her worries that wasn't some old man, advisor, or someone directly under her command. A friend. There were no others around her age in the castle, except some of the servants, but they were out of the question. Mazarin was much a stickler for being proper and probably would not appreciate "girl-talk" since he was much too old and well… a man.

Oh, how Henrietta longed to just walk down the streets without a care, eating at cafes with her friends like a regular girl would gossiping about dashing young men or something of similar nature. At least, that is what she imagined what commoners did in their free time with their close friends.

She had friends… right? Her mind blanked for a moment, until she remembered a young girl with vibrant eyes and hair of fuchsia.

Of course, there is Louise, her childhood playmate! If she correctly recalled, Louise was currently attending the Tristain Academy of Magic and was in her second year. The scheming woman hummed to herself, lost in thought. If she remembered well, the Familiar Exhibition was supposed to happen in a few days…

 _'Perhaps….'_

The beginning of a plan began to form in her head. After all, it was only proper to interact the future nobility of her Kingdom and their wonderful familiars. Maybe even make a show of it! Something to stave the dreary stray thoughts and look forward to something for once, namely reuniting with her childhood playmate after many years of separation. And so, while ironing out the details in her mind and resolving herself to present it to her family's lifelong advisor, she fell asleep on her bed with a faint smile on her face, dreaming simpler times of playing knights and princesses with a pink-haired girl.

* * *

"Thank you for your patronage, Ma'am!" gleefully counting the silver coins in the small brown leather sack Louise had handed him.

The Mage walked over to the hay-filled stables that reeked of animals and their feces, and quickly threw a glance over her shoulder at the stablemaster, absorbed in counting the clinking coins.

"Which horse was it again?" asked the Mage.

"For you? Pick any horse you'd like," chortled the man, in a way that belonged to a young boy rather than to the grown man he was. Although, even if the amount spent on the horse far outvalued the actual cost of the mount, the need for anonymity still held a place of concern in the back of her mind, and for that much coin anyone would break out into a fit of giggles.

With the impression that Tristain was giving her regarding unscrupulous individuals, perhaps the kingdom wasn't in such as an acceptable position as she once thought. Then again, back then she had been a naïve, sheltered child, unaware of the truth beyond the walls of nobility, which had been trying enough on their own without her wanting to know more about the people.

Confirming the man's attention was elsewhere, she stepped into the stables for a horse suitable to her standards. Yet, as soon as her foot met the hard dirt underneath her boot, all the horses suddenly began to panic as they neighed and stirred loudly, thrashing back and forth in their stables.

"Whoa there!" Rushed in the surprised stablemaster upon hearing the sudden panicked cries of his horses, "Easy there! Sorry about this ma'am, don't know what spooked them! Maybe a snake or something snuck on in."

Yet as his efforts to calm the horses were in vain, he yelled over the hysteria the horses exhibited.

"Easy there!"

 _'Zero…'_ called out the Mage into the depths of her mind, placing a gentle grasp on the hilt of her petal-hilted blade.

Answering the call, the Spirit's presence lessened as it was smothered over with her own energies, and the beasts calmed. Yet, the Mage had her eye fixed on a horse in the very most remote back corner of the darkened stables.

A horse whose coat was the color of midnight, and whose weary black orbs met her gaze with cautious curiosity. This horse had not panicked when the rest of its peers did so, not even to avert its eyes even as it sensed whatever lurked within her. Scars ran alongside its body, old battle wounds. An old war horse, a veteran like herself that had seen far too much. One that had survived despite all the odds and knew how to stay calm even amid combat.

Perfect.

Not saying much else, the pink-haired mage grabbed a girdle and placed it on the horse. Taking the elderly horse's reins, she swiftly mounted the creature, not bothering to saddle it, and took off down the moonlit cobblestone path, departing the hay and horse-filled stables.

"There we go! All calm now, now ma'am which horse would you…." trailed off the stablemaster, finding no indication that the woman who paid him quite the sum of money was present.

Down the cobblestone path, not a single soul was in sight, except for those who had no place to call home as they loitered on the street corners and dark alleyways, watching the lone woman and her newly acquired horse like birds of prey as they trotted down the dark streets.

Her eyes closed to focus on their presences.

Each lit up like a dimmed wick in the pitched room that encompassed the dark expanse of her mindscape, all centered around a vibrant, pink core. Like the planets in orbit around a celestial star. Yet this planet had two moons, a blue and pink one, instead of the single gray moon she had long been accustomed to.

Reopening her moonlit-eyes, she ran her fingers through the horse's raven-colored mane and patted the beast's neck, feeling her thighs press against the horse's back.

"Alright old boy, let's get you back up to speed," Softly whispered Louise to the horse, who neighed softly in answer.

 **"Another horse?"** Spoke the Black Spirit with what almost sounded like an audible groan in its voice. It never did like pacifying creatures, always bringing up something about the boot being the wrong size.

The horse under her shuddered visibly as Zero's presence regained its foothold around her, but did little else.

"Yup," nonchalantly stated the pink-haired mage, looking quite pleased with herself as she sat atop the saddle-less horse. Although her thighs began to chafe from the movement of the horse's muscular back, so she pulled on the reigns to a nearby alleyway between two buildings.

Dismounting the horse as she slipped into the alleyway and out of sight of any that could have been watching, she patted the horse once more on its long neck, eliciting another snort of stifling air in her face. There wasn't much room to maneuver with the midnight-coated mount taking up most of the narrow alleyway's space to maneuver, yet Louise managed to squeeze by the horse coming to its rear.

She focused her senses once more and poked her pink-haired head out of the narrow path, finding no one in their immediate vicinity that wasn't on the other side of a brick wall.

 **"I'm surprised you've elected to acquire one so soon."**

"Well, I prefer to ride horseback instead of going stir-crazy inside some wooden box on four wheels and the only reason I took one in the first place was because of Siesta," Mumbled Louise, shaking her head.

Besides there was no feeling better than to just ride at horse at full speed! The feeling of the rush of wind on her face elicited such a feeling of elevation that was to die for. Sadly, she couldn't bring her original horse with her on the journey "back home" since it was a one-man affair, not counting the spirit that possessed her body.

But if everything went according to plan, they would be reunited soon enough.

"Anyways, if you would." said Louise, twirling her hand in the horse's direction and feeling the Black Spirit materialize itself behind her. The horse's eyes widened in panic as it felt the brunt of the wraith's presence and neighed in fear as it began to thrash about. Yet before it could harm itself, Zero surged forward, over the mage, and reached out from underneath its black cloak with a long, bony hand.

The frightened horse visually calmed down as the black-coated hand entered the horse's skull, phasing through skin and bone like it wasn't even an obstacle to begin with. The panicked neighs lessened, and its breathing settled to a steady rhythm.

Suddenly, the phantom pulled its hand from out of the horse's skull, shuddering and letting out a guttural groan as its form quivered in disgust. It's gleaming red eyes glared at Louise, almost asking her to never request that ever again. But she knew the indebted Black Spirit would never voice it. After all, it's life was in her hands.

Feeling the spirits impassive glare after recovering, she waved her hand dismissively and from thin-air a brown-leathery saddle and stirrups materialized in her arms. Quietly thanking her partner, she saddled her horse in the close confines provided by the mortar-bricked walls on both sides. Hopping back onto her now-saddled horse, she pulled on the reins to backtrack out of the narrow alleyway and continued down the path back towards to the city gates.

Her eyes fell upon the moon still rising in the starry sky, and she pulled on the reigns a tad harder, causing the horse to quicken its trot.

* * *

Back at the Charming Fairy, Siesta had long retired to her cousin's room where she was going to spend the night. Having changed into plain sleeping clothes borrowed from Jessica, she sat alone in her cousin's room— Jessica having some last-minute duties to attend to—idly looking around the plain room with splashes of blue haphazardly placed on the walls. Her cousin never did have much sense for interior decorating.

Her gaze fell upon the recently acquired item, the "Talking-Sword", Sir Derflinger. Recalling Louise's words of wisdom when she had been gifted the weapon, she stood up and grabbed the weapon. Yet no response came from the blade who had been so animatedly chattery before they arrived at the inn.

"Sir Derflinger?" Her voice anxiously came out, almost as if she had reservations that everything that had happened today had been but a lucid dream. Yet, no response came from the magic sword. The maid repeated her inquiry, this time a bit louder, yet still below her usual volume, in fear of disturbing the other people in the inn.

"Wha?" Slurred the sword as its hilt bounced up and down to mimic a mouth, startling the raven-haired maid as she pulled her hand back, "Sorry 'bout that Missy, I fell asleep when we arrived."

"Oh!" Exclaimed the surprised maid with stars in her eyes, reaffirming herself that the events did indeed occur and that she was the owner of a talking, magic sword! Her parents and siblings were never going to believe this! Did this technically make her a noble? Probably not, but she cast away those thoughts for now.

"My apologies Sir Derflinger, I wasn't aware that living swords required sleep," she apologized. After all, if her sword was sentient, then she was better off being nice to it, who knew what Derflinger could do? Certainly not her, and she didn't want to risk irritating him? It?

"Hmm," hummed the sword in thought, its hilt quivering at the action, "Not so much that I need sleep, but more like what else would I do but be sheathed all the time? Polish and oil myself when I got no arms?"

"I see," mumbled Siesta, the thought of not being able to do anything for lengthy periods of time being quite foreign in her young mind since there was always duties and labors to be performed and little time for self-indulgence. Being the daughter of a farmer meant all hands had to be in the field or somehow preparing for the cold winters, and eventually a maid at an academy full of students that required food and cleaning certainly kept her busy for a meager pay. Although, that life was behind her now, being only responsible for any duties her Mistress asked of her. So long as she performed them adequately, and she had every intention of doing so.

"Something wrong, Missy?" Clacked the sword, "went quiet there."

Her eyes snapped back to the sword's eyes, or at least where she imagined them to be if Sir Derflinger had ones. Right above the hilt, like small balls of cotton.

"No, nothing is wrong. Just lost in thought," assured the surprised maid, waving her free hand back and forth.

"Haha!" Chuckled Derf, "For being the new owner of the most awe-inspiring blade in existence, of course you are!"

"Right…" Nervously giggled the off-put maid, who while patient, was starting to tire of the sword's impressive ego. Though she had endured far worse from the students of the Academy, and so strived to not let her irritation show.

"Worried about wielding me?" Asked Derf, his voice surprisingly low and serious.

"It's just…." her timid voice trailed for a moment, unsure whether to share her concerns with him, but decided to anyways since she did technically own Sir Derflinger now. Well, as much as one could "own" a sentient being, even if said being was a sword.

"It's just that I am unsure about owning a sword… for a commoner to wield a sword outside of being enlisted or serving directly under a noble is almost tantamount to rebelling against the nobility," Said Siesta, her voice carrying hints of trepidation, "And the fact I am wielding Sir Derflinger under the name of Miss Valliere makes me worry that I'll make a mistake that will shine unfavorably on her."

The sword hummed in thought, droning and quivering its moving hilt for quite a while.

"Eh… you'll be fine Missy," grunted the blade, "I doubt the Lass… err, your Mistress is even worried about that since you seem to be quite an honest and hardworking girl."

"From all my previous wielders, you certainly are the weakest of them all..." started the word, making Siesta lower her eyes in shame.

"But, I think you just need a confidence boost," finished magical blade.

"You think so?" asked the young woman, who, while still clearly uneasy, seemed to be soaking up the sword's encouragement like a sponge.

"Of course!" "Nodded" the sword, its voice serious. "In fact, just pull me out of my sheath and I'll show you a magic technique for conjuring confidence and spirit!"

"Really!? Magic!?" gasped Siesta, the maid looking at the sword in awe. She couldn't believe that there was a way for a commoner like her to use magic! Perhaps it functioned similarly to a enchanted tool?

"Yup! Now hurry up and wield me," ordered Derflinger, and she obeyed, her long hours of work in the fields and at the Academy giving her the muscles necessary to lift the heavy blade from its sheathe.

"Now, look at the mirror, and take a stance, as if you were going to fight someone. Be sure to stare at your reflection with a fierce look in your eyes!"

"Yes, Sir Derflinger!" Enthusiastically stated the eager maid, quickly following its instructions. Her eyes snapped to her reflection in the mirror, with the image of a young, plain-dressed black-haired girl comically wielding a rusted and, dare she say it, a not very impressive sword. She bent her knees and positioned the living blade like she pictured a brave knight would when facing down an approaching enemy. Her vivid mental image soon overwrote the reflection in the mirror and she imagined an older version of herself clad in steel armor, with a much more presentable version of Sir Derflinger in her hand.

"Now, follow my next instructions very carefully," the magical blade continued in a serious tone, "for this must be done with the upmost care."

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath."

She did so: her chest rose, filled her lungs with air, and exhaled.

"Now I'll be doing most of the work, but I want you to slowly open your eyes and give me your best battle cry you can give me!"

Siesta blinked, a bit confused at the idea of giving a battle cry, especially at night, and in an inn to boot.

"A battle cry? I don't see how…"

"It's all about intent, right? How do you think nobles do magic? I'll do most of the heavy lifting and you be the intent, okay?"

"Right!" The eager maid said in renewed vigor. Her eyes snapped back to the mirror, and gave it her fiercest glare. Like… Like one she would give one of her brothers when they pestered her. Feeling the call of battle rising within her chest, she yelled with as much vigor as possible. Her lungs eventually gave out, having no more air to continue her battle cry, but she could feel her confidence surging from within her bosom.

She had never felt this invigorated before! She felt like she could best an ogre singlehandedly, while bards sung tales of her heroism!

"How was that Sir Derflinger?" Asked an impassioned Siesta, but was met with a sound she wasn't really expecting.

"Bahahaha!"

The sword was prevented from answering when the sound of someone laughing drew the pair's attention, the maid turning to the source of the sound to see her cousin, flushed, holding her stomach and laughing like a hyena.

"S-Siesta, what in the world are you doing!? Hahaha!" Wheezed Jessica, as she keeled over in laughter, pointing a finger at her, "Standing there, going all "AAARRRR," just what in the world!?"

Siesta's face turned a crimson scarlet as she felt her face heat up like a roaring furnace.

"Wait! Jessica this isn't what it looks like! Sir Derflinger was just showing me magic to summon confidence!"

"Sir Derflinger?" hiccupped her cousin, desperately trying to quell her laughter, "who's that supposed to be?"

"This sword!" She almost shouted, raising the sword in her hands and causing her cousin to back away, "Sir Derflinger tell her that I was following your instructions!"

Yet, no word came from the silent blade. The seconds painfully ticked by and left the maid even more panicked and confused.

Holding back her laughter, Jessica placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, shaking her head and giving her a disappointed look.

"I thought that being a personal attendant with your own weapon would go to your head, but not this soon."

She then turned around and slowly left the room, throwing one last look of fake sadness before shaking her head. The sound of laughter broke from the hallway as the dam that held her giggles broke.

"JESSICA! WAIT! I CAN EXPLAIN! SIR DERFLINGER!" Screamed a red-faced Siesta as she chased after her cousin, unware that she still held Derf in her hands.

Needless to say, she awoke the entirety of the inn, staff included.

* * *

 **Beta:** ****Arawn D. Draven**** _[Thanks for beta'ing this chapter!]_

 **Author's Notes**

Wow! Such a huge increase in the following for this story! Now sitting at **307+** **Followers** & **211+ Favs** Thank you everyone! My apologies for taking several months to make chapters. On top of a really difficult course-load and starting a new (a real) well paying job, I've been writing out future content for both Black Mage and Remanoir, so future releases should be a bit easier.

* * *

 **Answering Reviews**

 **AnimeA55Kicker** & **mangalovers521** & **ThyPegasusBox** & **lazysamuria &** **Others**

Thanks for the love I'm getting in this story. I'm working on future chapters part-y-part and detailing a plot outline as I go. I have a clear mid and end goal in sight, but like they say: it's about the journey.

 **Guest (Rando)**

In Black Desert, the Black Spirit does take away your memories despite being initially "powerless" because the player entered a contract with the Black Spirit (that is still unknown what it actually entailed). It happens immediately when you create a new character, so take a look at that. I will admit that I got off at a rocky start mainly because I couldn't think of any other way bring Louise back into Halkeginia without going off the rails. So, I will apologize and acknowledge the beginning of my story isn't up to par and even I am not satisfied with it. I will perhaps return to the chapter in the future and shift some things around to make it more believable. But don't count on it.

 **Artyom-Dreizehn**

Glad you liked the surprise! Don't worry, there will be more of our infamous duo!

 **iZuikaku**

This is going to stay strictly a BDO x Zero crossover. I haven't even played Drakengard (despite my love of Nier, the previous ones leave a lot to love) so I wouldn't even know where to start. Some little elements of from it may come into play, but that is more for artistic choices.


	5. Notice 9-29-18 (Not Abandoned!)

Firstly, I apologize for not having a new chapter to post in such a long time. I have been extremely busy with graduate school and working on my post-graduate degree. Along with a full-time job that pays me well and not a horrid internship hourly wage. I'm usually just too busy or tired to really work on my stories. However, it does lend some explanation to not having posted any real content since the start of this year.

I, once again, apologize for the delay, but rest assuredly that I have not abandoned my stories, _**Black**_ _ **Mage**_ or _**Remanoir**_. I have a solid outline of the plot on both of my stories from start to finish.

* * *

I had a few people ask me how closely this is going to follow the anime/manga/LN/whatever. I'll admit I haven't watched FoZ in _years_ and I'm not even bothering to watch it again to refresh my mind, lest it color my further writings unwittingly. I only check things to get basic background of names/characters/plot points.

Now sitting at **416+** **Followers** & **296+ Favs** , quite steady growth each new chapter! Guess I must be doing something right.

* * *

 **Answering Reviews**

 **LetsSeeIfICanDoThisToo** & **Sand Soldier** & **Others**

Thanks for all the praise and love you guys are giving me! I wish I could get chapters out in a timelier manner, but I'll try my best to deliver great content when it does! I want to get to the fluffy Louise X Henrietta stuff as well ? Not to mention the moments of badassery from Louise, considering this version of Louise has slain beings far more powerful than anything shown in FoZ.


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